NASCAR: This William Byron trend should scare everyone

Never in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 has the first driver to two wins in a season not made it to the final round.

Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron entered the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season with two career wins to his name.

Following this past Saturday night’s race at Martinsville Speedway, that total is now twice is large, and he is the only driver with two wins to his name this year.

The driver of the #24 Chevrolet won the season’s fifth race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and with his win at “The Paperclip”, he prevented the 2022 season from becoming the first season since 2003 to see eight different winners in the first eight races.

Given the history of two-race winners in the Cup Series, this should scare the rest of the field.

The Championship 4 was introduced to the Cup Series in 2014. Every single one of the eight Championship 4 rounds has featured the driver who was first to reach two wins.

In 2014, Kevin Harvick won the season’s second race at Phoenix Raceway and its eighth race at Darlington Raceway. He won the championship. In 2015, Harvick won the season’s third race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and its fourth race at Phoenix Raceway. He finished the season in second place in the championship standings.

In 2016, Jimmie Johnson won the season’s second race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and its fifth race at Auto Club Speedway. He went on to win a record-tying seventh championship.

Brad Keselowski won the 2017 season’s second race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and its sixth race at Martinsville Speedway. He finished the season in fourth place in the championship standings.

Harvick found himself as the first two-race winner again in 2018, winning the season’s second race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and then its third race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He finished the season in third place in the championship standings.

Kyle Busch won the 2019 season’s fourth race at Phoenix Raceway and its fifth race at Auto Club Speedway before going on to win his second championship. In 2020, Joey Logano won the season’s second race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and its fourth race at Phoenix Raceway. He finished in third place in the championship standings.

Then in 2021, Martin Truex Jr. won the season’s fourth race at Phoenix Raceway and its eighth race at Martinsville Speedway. He finished in second place in the championship standings.

While the Championship 4 didn’t exist before 2014, you could even make the case that this streak goes back one year further.

Johnson won the 2013 season opener at Daytona International Speedway and the season’s sixth race at Martinsville Speedway to become the first driver to win twice, and he went on to win his sixth championship.

Will Byron extend this streak after becoming the first driver to win twice in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season? There is certainly still a long way to go before the Championship 4 drivers are solidified in late October — ironically, following another race at Martinsville Speedway.