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Diandra Leslie-Pelecky

Kyle Larson and Joey Logano won in the Round of 16. Alex Bowman and Chase Briscoe overperformed. What’s in store in the Round of 12?
Kyle Larson posted data to explain why adding ‘turtles’ to the inner loop of Watkins Glen’s bus stop made the track safer. Meet the men behind the graphs.
Only four points separate the last nine playoff drivers with a superspeedway, a road course and Bristol deciding the first-round eliminations.
The eighth season of the current playoff format is the first time three drivers will contend to win the regular season championship at the final race before the playoffs start.
Drivers already in the playoffs must accrue as many points (and playoff points) to protect them from a challenging playoff schedule.
History suggests that at least one new winner will take the checkered flag during the last four races of the regular season.
As NASCAR marks the 30th anniversary of its first Brickyard trip, Dr. Diandra identifies the best drivers at the oval and what that data might tell us about this weekend’s race.
Kyle Busch is enduring the longest losing streak of his career. Dr. Diandra’s numbers show how that stat is nowhere near as bad as it sounds.


Stats show the team would need multiple seasons to rebuild into a championship contender.
This year’s All-Star Race is more than just a contest with a $1 million purse. It’s a chance to remedy the Next Gen car’s shortcomings on short tracks.
Even casual fans can probably guess the No. 1 superspeedway driver, but a few other names might be surprises.
A look at how the Next Gen car compares to previous generations at short tracks.
NASCAR’s changes to qualifying at non-superspeedway ovals are a significant improvement, but Dr. Diandra suggests a few more tweaks.
Neither Kyle Busch nor Brad Keselowski has won the Daytona 500.
Dr. Diandra completes her analysis of the championship contenders by identifying the strengths and weakness of William Byron and Kyle Larson.
Dr. Diandra analyzes the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell entering Phoenix.
Joe Gibbs Racing has placed at least one driver in the Championship 4 in each of the last nine years.
Last year’s Championship 4 broke the record for youngest average driver age. Depending on what happens at Martinsville, 2023 could upset that record.
Homestead is a great track for three playoff drivers, but don’t count out possible spoilers like Kyle Busch or Kevin Harvick.
A closer examination of Martin Truex Jr.'s path to the 2023 regular-season championship suggests that we shouldn’t be surprised he’s struggling in the playoffs.
The Round of 8 focuses on classic NASCAR tracks — and offers a much higher level of competition.
History shows that even the driver ranked first going into the Round of 8 doesn’t always make the Championship 4.
Dr. Diandra notes that as uncertain as Talladage can be, the Charlotte Roval poses just as much danger to playoff contenders.
Dr. Diandra calculates expectations for playoff performance based on regular season stats and finds out which drivers are outperforming their regular seasons and which have work to do.