As the NASCAR Cup Series kicks off the 10-race playoff portion of the schedule today at Darlington Raceway, all 16 playoff drivers are technically in the running for the championship.
Make no mistake, however: William Byron — who won the regular season championship in runaway fashion — is on the shortlist of favorites. In fact, it’s possible to make a case he’s the favorite.
Not only did Byron capture the regular season title a whole race early, but it’s been hard to find a glaring weakness in the Hendrick Motorsports driver’s game in 2025.
“I think our strength is just that we’re fast at all the different tracks,” Byron said on Wednesday during NASCAR Cup Series Playoff media day. “I really don’t see a track that we’re at a big deficit.
“At the same time, though, you never know what everyone else is going to bring and how fast they’re going to be. So, we’ve just got to keep working. We can keep getting better.”
Even though there’s not much to critique about Byron’s 2025 resume, let’s break down both the positives and negatives momentarily.
What’s To Love About The Playoff Resume Of William Byron?
William Byron might not have the most wins this season (he doesn’t), but he’s been the Cup Series’ most consistent driver. That’s the main reason Byron won the regular season championship. And as a result of claiming that championship, Byron gained an extra 15 playoff points.
Those bonus points ultimately allowed him to enter the playoffs tied with teammate Kyle Larson atop the revised points standings. Byron is seeded second to Larson only because Larson has three wins this year, to Byron’s two.
The first of Byron’s victories, of course, came in February in the biggest race of all — the Daytona 500. The Charlotte, North Carolina native prevailed in the marquee event for the second year in a row.
WILLIAM BYRON WINS THE DAYTONA 500! AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/hPvnCkcNRa
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 17, 2025
Byron scored his second and most recent win in early August at Iowa Speedway, where he stretched his final tank of fuel to the finish.
Even though Byron hasn’t gone to Victory Lane as much as he would’ve liked this year, he’s led a Cup Series-high 915 laps. That’s a real testament to the speed in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevys.
What’s Not To Love About The Playoff Resume Of No. 24 Chevy Driver?
The only true blemish on the 2025 resume of William Byron? Having fewer wins than four other playoff drivers. Those drivers are Denny Hamlin (4 wins), Shane van Gisbergen (4), Kyle Larson (3) and Christopher Bell (3).
Byron shouldn’t have any problem ultimately beating out van Gisbergen — a one-trick pony whose triumphs have come exclusively on road courses. But three other drivers with more wins than Byron pose formidable threats to his championship aspirations.
Byron has also been a Championship 4 driver in each of the past two seasons, only to come up short both times. He finished third out of the four championship finalists in both 2024 and 2023. So, it appears that Byron, despite being a two-time Daytona 500 winner, may not be at his best on the big stage. At least the one at the end of the season.
Will that change this year if Byron is again a Championship 4 driver? It’s possible. Especially considering that the venue for the final race is now Homestead-Miami Speedway, not Phoenix Raceway where it’s been since 2020.
Different venue or not, though, Byron has never been the smoothest Championship 4 performer.
What Does All This Mean For William Byron?
Although William Byron’s championship credentials aren’t perfect, you can’t downplay his body of work in the regular season.
After all, scoring the most points over 26 races and winning the regular season title by a mile says a lot about Byron and his No. 24 team.
Byron is hardly a shoe-in for the title, of course. But he’s an exceptionally strong candidate to return to the Championship 4. And if he makes it back, he may just close the deal this time.
