Heading into the final race of the 2025 Cup Series regular season, William Byron stepped on the Daytona track as the regular season champion. While he couldn’t carry the momentum into the race, Byron still took solace from the fact that he was one of the 16 drivers who could continue pushing for the Cup Series title in the NASCAR playoff races.
After finishing a disappointing 19th in Daytona, an even bigger setback eventually marred Byron’s day. He discovered that he wasn’t the top-seeded driver for the Round of 16.
The New Rule That Helped Kyle Larson Move Above William Byron in the NASCAR Playoff Standings
A regular-season champion, Byron clearly had the highest points haul of any driver on the grid. Given his consistency, the Daytona 500 winner had earned 32 playoff points over 26 starts this season, alongside 13 top 10 finishes. However, none of it was enough to hand him the top seed for the Round of 16 of the playoff phase, with Kyle Larson taking that honor.
The two Hendrick Motorsports drivers are tied in every aspect of the ranking metric, with both teammates earning 2,032 points in 2025. However, Larson has one extra win this season, helping him rise above his teammate.
Moreover, a new rule in the sport aided Larson in his path to the top spot. Ahead of the 2025 season, NASCAR introduced a bonus point for the fastest lap of each race, and the 2021 Cup Series champion made good use of it.
William Byron is the 2025 Regular Season Champion, finishing 55 points ahead of Ryan Blaney.
Here are all of the Regular Season Champions in the Playoff Era (2014 – Present) pic.twitter.com/34YkvUh0jj
— NASCAR Insights (@NASCARInsights) August 26, 2025
He earned the bonus point in four different races (Circuit of the Americas, Kansas Speedway, Mexico City, and Watkins Glen). Notably, two of these results came after the No. 5 driver went into the pit for necessary repairs and finished the race several laps behind the race leader.
The four additional points played a key role in Larson finishing ahead of Chase Elliott in the final standings by just three points. Being one of the top three finishers in the regular season, Larson ended up earning an extra playoff point, taking his tally up to 32.
The extra point will continue carrying over into every round of the playoffs that Larson progresses into, regardless of the reset.
Ten other drivers have earned additional points from the “Fastest Lap” rule, apart from Larson. Denny Hamlin received the accolade six times in 2025, although it was still not enough for him to move ahead of Byron or Larson.