NASCAR: Did Hendrick Motorsports cost themselves a title?

Hendrick Motorsports’ decision to appeal William Byron’s penalty could still pay off in a roundabout way. But it could also cost them a NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Had it not been for Hendrick Motorsports’ appeal of the 25-point penalty issued to William Byron for exacting revenge on Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin in the round of 12 opener at Texas Motor Speedway, Byron would not have advanced to the round of 8 of the playoffs for the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career.

But because their appeal was successful and Byron did advance, it ended up being teammate Kyle Larson who was eliminated after the round of 12. Larson finished the round of 12 as the highest driver below the round of 8 cut line in the standings, but he would have been in had it not been for the appeal.

Larson ended up winning the second race of the round of 8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, meaning that without that appeal, he would have advanced to the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway with a chance to defend his 2021 title.

Instead, the four drivers set to compete for 2022 championship are Team Penske’s Joey Logano, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, Trackhouse Racing Team’s Ross Chastain, and Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott.

Byron was eliminated in the round of 8, along with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe.

Has Hendrick Motorsports’ appeal cost them a championship?

It certainly could. But it also might save them.

Had Larson advanced to the Championship 4, Elliott would not have. Logano and Bell advanced by winning the round of 8 races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway, respectively, and Chastain and Elliott advanced on points. Chastain finished two points ahead of Elliott, making Elliott the last driver to qualify.

So if Larson finishes higher than Logano, Bell, and Chastain at Phoenix Raceway but Elliott does not, then Hendrick Motorsports will not have a driver become 2022 champion because of that appeal.

In this scenario, had Larson advanced instead of Elliott, he would have won the title.

On the flip side, if Elliott wins the championship and Larson doesn’t finish higher than Logano, Bell, and Chastain, then this appeal would have played an indirect role in one of their drivers being crowned 2022 champion.

And in this scenario, had Larson advanced over Elliott, the highest finisher of Logano, Bell, and Chastain would have won the title.

So this is truly a case where hindsight will be 20/20.

It is worth mentioning that Hendrick Motorsports could still win both the NASCAR driver championship and the NASCAR owner championship.

Larson’s #5 team is actually in the Championship 4 of the owner playoffs while Elliott’s #9 team is not. This goes back to the regular season, when 23XI Racing’s Kurt Busch withdrew his name from the playoff field when it became clear that he would not be healthy enough to return in time.

Busch had been sidelined with concussion-like symptoms since his single-car qualifying crash at Pocono Raceway in July, but he had locked up a playoff spot by winning at Kansas Speedway in May.

His withdrawal freed up a playoff spot for Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, who was the highest finishing non-winner in the regular season point standings. However, because Busch’s win was tied to the #45 team, the #45 team still advanced to the owner playoffs. As a result, Blaney’s #12 team didn’t make it in.

Blaney advanced to the round of 12 on points while the #45 team advanced after Bubba Wallace, who was moved to the #45 Toyota in attempt to bolster the team’s owner championship chances after driving 23XI Racing’s #23 Toyota throughout the regular season, won the round of 16 race at Kansas Speedway.

But while Wallace’s #45 team was eliminated in the round of 12, Blaney moved on to the round of 8.

As a result, just seven of the eight round of 8 drivers saw their teams advance to the round of 8 in the owner playoffs. The remaining open spot went to Larson’s #5 team. Larson had finished the round as the highest driver below the cut line, but his team finished as the final team above it.

So while Larson’s win at Homestead-Miami Speedway didn’t lock him into the Championship 4 for a second straight season, it did lock the #5 team into the Championship 4 of the owner playoffs.

Logano’s #22 team locked in with his win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Bell’s #20 team locked in with his win at Martinsville Speedway. Chastain’s #1 team locked in on points, finishing the round of 8 two points ahead of Elliott’s #9 team, which did not make it in.

The NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 is scheduled to take place on Sunday, November 6 at Phoenix Raceway, and it is set to be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET. Don’t miss your chance to start a free trial of FuboTV now!