[autotag]William Byron[/autotag] didn’t display the speed that many expected during the Round of 16 but it was easily enough to advance to the Round of 12. Byron advanced with finishes of fourth place at Darlington Raceway, 15th place at Kansas Speedway, and ninth place at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Hendrick Motorsports driver still remains in a great spot in the standings.
Byron has been fast the entire season and the lack of speed in the playoffs compared to Denny Hamlin and teammate Kyle Larson is not a bad thing yet. So, how does the Round of 12 stack up for Byron as he tries to claim his first NASCAR Cup Series title? Let’s take a look at what tracks are coming up over the next three races.
The driver of the No. 24 car will take a 25-point advantage to the playoff cut-line and head to Texas Motor Speedway, which has been very solid for him in the past. In Byron’s last four starts, he has three top-7 finishes and led at least 30 laps in three of those starts. It would not be surprising to see him clinch a spot before the Round of 12 even goes to the second event.
Repost to congratulate William Byron on his NASCAR Cup Series WIN at Watkins Glen! pic.twitter.com/0DzL5R2fq9
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) August 20, 2023
Moving on to Talladega, it has represented another solid track for Byron. In his last seven starts, he has six top-15 finishes and has done very well at earning stage points along the way. Byron’s consistency at Talladega would be very beneficial for him as a strong start to the Round of 12 could essentially put him in a very comfortable spot for the finale.
Finally, the Charlotte ROVAL is another track where Byron has run well in the past. The driver of the No. 24 car has two top-10 finishes in five starts; however, he has led at least 23 laps in three different races with a large amount of stage points. Byron won at a road course during the 2023 season so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him win another one.
It has officially reached the point where Byron winning anywhere would not be a surprise. Obviously, anything can happen in NASCAR but the Hendrick Motorsports driver could easily cruise to the Round of 8 without any issues. Byron is turning into a well-rounded driver and it could take him all the way to the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway.
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