Week 15 GFT NASCAR AI Driver Rankings: Larson wins at All-Star Race and jumps to P1 in rankings

21 May 2023
By Bob Francis, Managing Editor
Go Full Throttle Racing News

NORTH WILKESBORO, NC — After winning the NASCAR Truck Series race on Saturday, Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports №5 Chevrolet) won the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday and $1,000,000.

North Wilkesboro Speedway lived up to all the hype as the sold-out crowd watched Kyle Larson dominate the field, coming back from a speeding penalty, driving from last to first and on to the win. With the victory and $1 million prize also came bragging rights as the first winner in the NASCAR Cup Series return to the historic venue Sunday evening.

Bubba Wallace finished runner-up, while Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe and Chase Elliott rounded out the top five.

Week 15 NASCAR GFT Top 25 AI Driver Rankings following the NASCAR All-Star Race at reborn North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 21, 2023 (Image: GFT Digital / gofullthrottle.net)

*NOTE — A reminder that our Go Full Throttle AI models (Driver Ranking and Race Prediction) utilize ALL data from NASCAR Cup racing. ALL means we use “exhibition” non-points races in our data feeds. This includes: The Clash at the Coliseum, The Duels at Daytona, and the All-Star Race. The more race pace data, the more accurate the models are.

The Big Movers:
With the win and Ross Chastain’s 11th place finish, Kyle Larson jumps up 5 spots to P1 in the NASCAR GFT AI Driver Rankings. All-Star race 3rd place finisher Tyler Reddick also moves up 5 spots to P3. Bell falls one spot to P4 and last week’s leader, William Byron, falls 4 spots to P5.

NORTH WILKESBORO, NORTH CAROLINA — MAY 21: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, leads the field during the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 21, 2023 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

GFT NASCAR BOX SCORE

Week 15 GFT NASCAR Box Scores (Image: GFT Digital / gofullthrottle.net)

Manufacturer Wins: Chevrolet = 10, Toyota = 5, Ford = 3
Team Wins:
Hen = 7
JGR = 4
Pen = 2
RCR = 2
JTG = 1
SHR = 1
23XI = 1
TH = 0
RFK = 0
LGCY = 0

NORTH WILKESBORO, NORTH CAROLINA — MAY 21: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates with the one million dollar check in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 21, 2023 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

NORTH WILKESBORO, NORTH CAROLINA — MAY 21: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, poses next to his winner sticker in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 21, 2023 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

The Cup Series will return to regular-season action on May 28 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the running of the Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).