Yahoo Autos Byron leads NASCAR playoffs field
William Byron will start the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs as the No. 1 seed for the first time in his career.
It is Byron’s fifth postseason appearance, and the 36 playoff points are the most he and the No. 24 team have ever earned. Byron led the series in victories (five) through the regular season.
Martin Truex Jr., who won the regular-season championship, is second to Byron. However, Truex tied Byron in playoff points through the 15 additional playoff points he earned through the regular-season title as the stage win that he earned Saturday night in Daytona.
Bubba Wallace took the final playoff spot available. Wallace is the only first-time driver in the postseason and begins as the No. 16 seed.
There are six former Cup Series champions in the playoffs: Truex, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick. Busch and Logano have won multiple championships, and Logano is the reigning series champion.
Ford has six drivers championship eligible. Chevrolet and Toyota each have five drivers in the hunt.
JTG Daugherty Racing is the only single-car team in the playoffs. RFK Racing and 23XI Racing were the only organizations with multiple cars to qualify all of their teams.
It is the first time since 2016 that there are only two drivers from Hendrick Motorsports in the postseason. Joe Gibbs Racing has three of its four drivers qualified, Team Penske put in two of its three and there was one of two from Richard Childress Racing, Trackhouse Racing, and Front Row Motorsports.
1. William Byron: 2,036 points
2. Martin Truex Jr.: 2,036 points
3. Denny Hamlin: 2,025 points
4. Chris Buescher: 2,021 points
5. Kyle Busch: 2,019 points
6. Kyle Larson: 2,017 points
7. Christopher Bell: 2,014 points
8. Ross Chastain: 2,011 points
9. Brad Keselowski: 2,010 points
10. Tyler Reddick: 2,009 points
11. Joey Logano: 2,008 points
12. Ryan Blaney: 2,008 points
13. Michael McDowell: 2,005 points
14. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 2,005 points
15. Kevin Harvick: 2,004 points
16. Bubba Wallace: 2,000 points
Darlington Raceway is the first race of the first round of the postseason. Erik Jones, a non-playoff driver, won the event last season. Byron won at Darlington in the spring.
Darlington, Kansas Speedway, and Bristol Motor Speedway are the three races in the first round.
