Beyond the Flag
Fansided

NASCAR: 5 bold predictions for the final 5 races of the 2019 regular season

By Asher Fair

LONG POND, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 28: Erik Jones, driver of the #20 Reser's Main St Bistro Toyota, leads the field during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Gander RV 400 at Pocono Raceway on July 28, 2019 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
LONG POND, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 28: Erik Jones, driver of the #20 Reser's Main St Bistro Toyota, leads the field during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Gander RV 400 at Pocono Raceway on July 28, 2019 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
LONG POND, PENNSYLVANIA – JULY 27: William Byron, driver of the #24 Liberty University Chevrolet (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
LONG POND, PENNSYLVANIA – JULY 27: William Byron, driver of the #24 Liberty University Chevrolet (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /

William Byron finishes as top Hendrick Motorsports driver

Last season, William Byron was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver who failed to qualify for the playoffs, and he really finished nowhere near playoff contention. By the time his rookie season had concluded, he found himself mired in 23rd place in the championship standings.

However, this season, he has taken a big step forward, and while he has not yet earned the first victory of his Cup Series career, he appears to be well on his way to qualifying for the playoffs.

He may very well do so as the highest finishing Hendrick Motorsports driver in the championship standings.

Right now, Byron sits in 12th place in the championship standings with 582 points. He trails two of his teammates but sits comfortably ahead of the third, Jimmie Johnson, in 17th and one position below the playoff cut line with 520 points.

The honor of being Hendrick Motorsports’ top driver in the regular season standings appeared to be all but locked up by Chase Elliott early in the season. But over the course of the last seven races, he has not finished a single race in the top 10, and his average finishing position is an abysmal 26.43. He now sits just 18 points (616 to 598) ahead of teammate Alex Bowman.

Bowman earned the first victory of his career during this span in the race at Chicagoland Speedway, but he has since been on a cold streak, failing to record a single top 13 finish in any of the four races that have taken place since then.

Meanwhile, Byron’s average finish in the last five races is 8.80, which is the second best in the Cup Series, and both of his career top four finishes have come in the last four races.

With Byron sitting just 34 points behind Elliott and 16 points behind Bowman, being in the midst of the hottest stint of his Cup Series career and pursuing his first career victory, look for him to finish the regular season as the highest of the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the championship standings.

Home/NASCAR Cup Series