NASCAR has a new points leader to start the round of 8

Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron entered the round of 12 finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in a unique position.

He was the points leader and the only driver mathematically locked into the round of 8 of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. But he was guaranteed to lose the points lead ahead of the round of 8, even if he won at Charlotte, due to the impending round of 8 points reset.

While teammate Kyle Larson hadn't locked himself into the round of 8, and neither had Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell, at least one of them was guaranteed to move on.

Byron entered Sunday's 109-lap race around the 17-turn, 2.28-mile (3.669-kilometer) Concord, North Carolina track with 23 playoff points, while Larson entered with 47 and Bell entered with 32. 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick was also ahead of Byron with 28, but he was much closer to the round of 8 cut line.

Larson, Bell, and Reddick all indeed managed to advance. Larson added five playoff points to his total by winning the Bank of America Roval 400, and Reddick added one with a stage win.

So Larson is back to leading the standings ahead of the round of 8.

He has 4,052 points, while Bell is second with 4,032, Reddick is third with 4,029, and Byron is fourth with 4,023.

The first driver below the Championship 4 cut line is reigning Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney of Team Penske with 4,019 points. Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin, who would have 4,028 points if not for a major penalty he was issued in August, sits just behind Blaney with 4,015.

Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Elliott and Team Penske's Joey Logano round out the order with 4,014 and 4,012, respectively. Logano advanced after Hendrick Motorsports' Alex Bowman was disqualified from the Charlotte Roval race. Bowman had initially locked himself into the round of 8 for the first time since 2020.

Larson is also the new championship betting favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.

He and Bell had been listed as co-favorites at +450, but Larson's Charlotte win, coupled with the fact that he is set to start the round of 8 sitting 33 points above the cut line, has established the 2021 champion as the new outright favorite at +370, followed by Bell at +450 and Reddick at +500.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway is scheduled to get the round of 8 underway this Sunday, October 20 with the South Point 400. NBC is set to provide live coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET. Begin a free trial of FuboTV today and don't miss any of the action!