Who was NASCAR’s most improved driver in 2019?

While much of the focus right now is justifiably on 2019 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, who was the most improved driver this year?

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch ended his 21-race win drought that spanned five and a half months in style, winning the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 season finale to secure his second career championship and his first since 2015.

By winning this 267-lap Ford EcoBoost 400 around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Homestead-Miami Speedway oval in Homestead, Florida, he became the first two-time champion since the Championship 4 era began in 2014 and the first two-time champion since seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson was crowned for the second time back in 2007.

But while much of the focus is justifiably on the 2019 champion, whose average finish of 8.94 was the best in the series and the best for a series champion since the 2000 season, let’s focus on another aspect of the 2019 season: the most improved driver.

You really have to look at it from two perspectives. First of all, which driver improved the most from 2018 to 2019, and secondly, which driver improved the most as far as his overall career is concerned?

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From 2018 to 2019, there’s no doubt that the most improved driver was Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin. After winning at least one race in each of his first 12 seasons as a full-time Cup Series driver, Hamlin experienced a winless 2018 season.

His 10 top five finishes were his fewest since he recorded seven in the 2014 season and his 17 top 10 finishes were his fewest since he recorded eight in the 2013 season. His average finish of 12.6 was his worst since the 2015 season when it was 13.6, and he was eliminated following the round of 16 of the playoffs for the first time in his career.

His 11th place finish in the championship standings was his worst since he finished in 23rd place in the 2013 season after missing four races, and it was his worst in a full season since he finished in 12th in the 2007 season. He led only 380 laps, his lowest laps led total since he led 363 laps in the 2014 season.

Many people thought his career was on the decline.

But he responded with a career year, recording six victories, a career-high 19 top five finishes, a career-high 24 top 10 finishes and a career-high average finish of 9.5.

He also qualified for the Championship 4 for the second time in his career and first time since the Championship 4’s inaugural season in 2014. He led 922 laps, his highest laps led total since he led 1,226 laps in the 2012 season, and he finished in fourth place in the championship standings.

From an overall career standpoint, the most improved driver was Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron. Driving the same #24 Chevrolet for the same team in his rookie 2018 season and the 2019 season, the uptick that Byron saw in his performance should bode very well for his future in the Cup Series.

After 17 seasons as the crew chief of seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus left the pit box of the #48 team to become Byron’s crew chief, and the move paid off. It may not have resulted in Byron finding victory lane for the first time in his career yet, but his performance indicates that he may not need to wait much longer for that to happen.

In 2018, Byron finished in 23rd place in the championship standings with four top 10 finishes, including a career-high finish of sixth at Pocono Raceway. He led 61 laps and recorded an average finish of 22.1.

In 2019, Byron qualified for the playoffs for the first time in his career and advanced to the round of 12 before ultimately being eliminated and finishing in 11th place in the championship standings. He recorded five top five finishes and 13 top 10 finishes and finished as high as second in races at Daytona International Speedway and Martinsville Speedway.

Byron also took five pole positions, a total that ranked second to only Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick with six. He led 233 laps throughout the season and finished the year with an average finish of 14.9, a 7.2-place improvement from his rookie season.

You could also make a case for Matt DiBenedetto here, although his team switch from Go Fas Racing to Leavine Family Racing certainly played a role in this improvement.

DiBenedetto entered his first season driving for Leavine Family Racing with four career top 10 finishes and a best finish of sixth place at Bristol Motor Speedway in 140 races. He had led just 23 laps. In four seasons, his best single-season average finish was 27.0, and his best finish in the championship standings was 29th.

In 2019, DiBenedetto finished in a career-high 22nd place in the championship standings with a career-high average finish of 18.3, an 8.7-place improvement from his previous career-high.

He recorded the first three top five finishes of his career, including a career-high second place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway that was nearly a victory that would have sent him to the playoffs for the first time, along with four other top 10 finishes. He also led 152 laps.

Which drivers will improve the most in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, both from an individual season to season perspective and from a career perspective? The season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, February 16 with the 62nd annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.