Glossary of Motorsports Analytics Terminology

Clutch +/- – Measures position retainment and passes of value during green-white-checkered situations. This is a weighted result of a proprietary model. Read as +/-0.000 Clutch +/- (e.g. drivers with a positive Clutch +/- can be expected to hold or gain positions on green-white-checkered attempts; drivers with a negative Clutch +/- can be expected to lose positions).

Crash Frequency – Measures the frequency in which a driver suffers a crash or spin that causes them to lose position. Read as 0.00 Crash Frequency (e.g. a 0.21 Crash Frequency can be understood as a driver crashing 0.21 times per race).

Fringe Contender – A driver earning a PEER of 2.999 to 2.000. This driver is exhibiting the ability to compete for a series championship.

QPP (officially Quality Pass Percentage) – Measures the percentage of a driver’s total passes for position in the top 15. Read as 0.0 percent QPP (e.g. a 58.5 percent QPP can be understood as 58.5 percent of a driver’s passes are for a position inside the top 15.

PEER (officially Production in Equal Equipment Rating) – Measures driver production or weighted results that take equipment strength into account. This is a weighted result of a proprietary model. Read as 0.000 PEER (e.g. a driver with a 1.500 PEER is a serviceable driver that can win an occasional race but cannot compete for a championship in an all-equipment-even scenario). Subscribers can read more about the methodology behind the site’s flagship metric.

PEER Forecast – A forecast of a driver’s future PEER. This is a weighed result of a proprietary model. Read in the same manner as PEER.

Position Retainment Difference (or PRD) – Measures a team’s percentage increase or decrease on running position in the final 10 percent of laps in races. Read as +/- 0.0 percent PRD (e.g. a team with a +3.5 percent PRD, on average, increases their position with 10 percent of a race to go by 3.5 percent).

Prospect Score – Measures a combination of a young driver’s PEER and series serviceability (the number of serviceable drivers among drivers eligible in a series) for the driver’s series of record during a specific timeframe. This is a weighted result of a proprietary model. Read as a Prospect Score of 0.00. The higher a Prospect Score, the more likely a driver is prepared for elite competition.

Replacement Level – A driver earning a PEER of 0.999 or lower. This driver’s PEER can be easily found elsewhere.

Relevance – Measures the percentage in which a driver/team finishes in the top half of fields. Read as 0.00 percent Relevance (e.g. a team with 83.33 percent Relevance has finished in the top half of fields 83.33 percent of the time).

Serious Contender – A driver earning a PEER of 3.999 to 3.000. This driver is exhibiting the ability to compete for a series championship while producing higher finishes than those with a Fringe Contender-level PEER.

Serviceable – A driver earning a PEER of 1.999 to 1.000. This driver can be counted on for an occasional race win.

Terminal Crash Frequency (or TCF) – Measures the frequency in which a driver suffers a crash that causes them to retire from a race. Read as 0.00 TCF (e.g. a 0.10 TCF can be understood as a driver terminally crashing once every 10 races).

Top 15 Efficiency – Measures a driver’s ability to capitalize on running in the top 15 and understands a driver’s aggression or patience in given equipment during races. It is the difference between a driver’s percentage of finishes in the top 15 and the driver’s percentage of total laps run in the top 15. Read as 0.0 percent Top 15 Efficiency. A driver with an overwhelming negative efficiency can be perceived as aggressive and inefficient while in the top 15, while a driver with an overwhelming positive efficiency can be perceived as patient and efficient. A driver with an efficiency of -3.0 percent to +3.0 percent is considered balanced. Meant to interpret the style and efficiency of a driver.

© Motorsports Analytics LLC, 2013. All rights reserved.