What statistic makes William Byron a serious challenger for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series title?

Despite inconsistent finishes, Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron has had an impressive 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season so far. The #24 Chevrolet driver became the first two-time winner of the season when he scored victories at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway, locking him up for the 16-driver playoff grid.

William Byron has qualified for the playoffs with multiple wins for the first time in his five-year-long career. With two brilliant wins and four top-five finishes, the 24-year-old driver stands second in the standings, which makes him a series challenger to win the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Byron reached second in the playoff standings after the playoff opener at Darlington Raceway because he earned points in both stages and ended the race in eighth place. It was also aided by Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick, and Kyle Busch having an unfortunate day.

If we look at Byron’s “average running position”, then his current rankings will not be a surprise. He certainly struggled, including six races that ended in a crash, but his results in other races include his only one worse than 22nd place.

As explained on NBC Sports this week, the average running position calculates a driver’s position after each lap, according to statistics from NASCAR loop data. William Byron’s average finish is 17.7 this season in the first 27 races including six DNFs, but his average running position is 4.01, which is much better than that.

The most important thing for Byron now is to make sure he keeps getting point-producing finishes that can keep him moving along in the race for the playoffs. At 30 points ahead of the cut-off line, he is in good shape to advance to the Round of 12. A couple of top-five finishes could move Hendrick Motorsports driver into the semi-finals for the first time in his career.

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William Byron takes a massive lead in points table after NASCAR playoff opener

Driving the #24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports, William Byron started last week’s Darlington race in third place. He managed to win Stage 1 and crossed the finish line in eighth place.

With a top-10 result, Byron gained 45 points and moved from fifth to second spot to take a much more important lead in the Cup Series standings with 2059 points. He is just six points behind current points table leader Joey Logano.

Catch the #24 Chevrolet driver at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, September 11, 2022, where he will start on the fifth row after qualifying P9 in the qualifying race.