NASCAR: The driver eliminated by William Byron’s appeal

Which driver ended up being eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs because of the success of the William Byron appeal?

With a 16th place finish in the round of 12 finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron did enough to lock himself into the round of 8 for the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career.

Byron finished the round of 12 in sixth place in the point standings, 11 points above the round of 8 cut line.

Here is how the final round of 12 picture looked.

Rank – Driver – Points (Behind)
1 – Chase Elliott – 1 WIN
2 – Christopher Bell – 1 WIN
3 – Ryan Blaney – 3,121 (+19)
4 – Joey Logano – 3,120 (+18)
5 – Denny Hamlin – 3,117 (+15)
6 – William Byron – 3,113 (+11)
7 – Ross Chastain – 3,108 (+6)
8 – Chase Briscoe – 3,104 (+2)
———ROUND OF 8 CUT LINE———
9 – Kyle Larson – 3,102 (-2)
10 – Daniel Suarez – 3,195 (-9)
11 – Austin Cindric – 3,191 (-13)
12 – Alex Bowman – 3,015 (-89)

So had his 25-point penalty for spinning Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin at Texas Motor Speedway two weekends prior not been rescinded, Byron would have been eliminated.

Byron would have finished the round of 12 ahead of only teammate Alex Bowman, who did not compete in the final two races of the round of 12 due to concussion-like symptoms stemming from his crash at Texas Motor Speedway.

Here’s how the final NASCAR Cup Series round of 12 picture would have looked.

Rank – Driver – Points (Behind)
1 – Chase Elliott – 1 WIN
2 – Christopher Bell – 1 WIN
3 – Ryan Blaney – 3,121 (+26)
4 – Joey Logano – 3,120 (+25)
5 – Denny Hamlin – 3,117 (+22)
6 – Ross Chastain – 3,108 (+13)
7 – Chase Briscoe – 3,104 (+9)
8 – Kyle Larson – 3,102 (+7)
———ROUND OF 8 CUT LINE———
9 – Daniel Suarez – 3,195 (-7)
10 – Austin Cindric – 3,191 (-11)
11 – William Byron – 3,188 (-14)
12 – Alex Bowman – 3,015 (-87)

So because of Byron’s successful appeal, teammate and reigning series champion Kyle Larson ended up missing the round of 8.

Larson was always going to be one of the drivers at risk of being affected by this successful appeal and the reinstatement of Byron’s 25 points, even though he remained 18 points above the cut line before the race and did not drop a position immediately when Byron got those points back.

From last week:

"“Kyle Larson, for instance, is still 18 points above the cut line and in the same sixth position, but he is now within six points of dropping below the next two drivers, as opposed to 18. This could be crucial, particularly if somebody wins from below the cut line.”"

Somebody from below the cut line did indeed win. Aside from Bowman, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell entered the round of 12 finale lowest in the point standings, and he was 45 points below the round of 8 cut line.

He scored no points in the first two stages of the race, meaning that he needed to win to lock himself into the round of 8. That’s just what he did, leading only the final two laps of the 110-lap race around the 17-turn, 2.28-mile (3.669-kilometer) Concord, North Carolina road course following a decision to take new tires during a late caution flag period.

He passed Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick on the outside going into turn one and never looked back, securing his second win of the season and the third win of his career.

Had Bell not won the race, Larson would have qualified for the round of 8, and it would have been Trackhouse Racing Team’s Daniel Suarez who ended up on the short end of the stick because of the success of Byron’s appeal.