There’s no doubt about it, William Bryon is in my opinion the championship front runner. The Hendrick Motorsports drivers comes into the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with a 5 win regular season. He has more wins in 26 races this season (5) than he had in his previous 180 starts (4).

Now, can he do something with it?

We’ve been waiting for this type of breakout from the 25-year-old North Carolina native. It took him 97 races before scoring his first career win in the 2020 regular season finale. He’d go winless throughout the playoffs however.

Then in only the third race of the 2021 season, he won again. Unfortunately for him, that was his lone trip to victory lane.

Last year, he finally broke out and won multiple races in a season. He’d win 2 of the first 8 races. Again, those were his only wins. He’d go winless over the final 28 races. In fact, after his win, he went the rest of the regular season (18 races) without a top five. He had one top 10 in that span which was only a ninth-place run. It was 21 races between top five finishes.

As good as he was early, he faltered after.

That’s why I was skeptical when he began 2023 with two wins in four races including both in-a-row. Out of the first six races, he had two wins and three total top five finishes. His other three results were 34th, 25th and 32nd respectively.

Who was Byron going to become in 2023?

He came to Watkins Glen two weeks ago in a similar manner. He had not finished better than 14th in any of his previous 5 starts on the season and his Atlanta win in July was his lone top five in a 10 race span.

Then he went out and dominated the Go Bowling at The Glen.

“Yeah, we seem to go through that summer slump in July and August, and for some reason we just can’t quite put the races together. I think it’s the racetracks itself,” Byron said after scoring his 9th career win.

“Yeah, just came this weekend with a good mindset, focusing on trying to get ready for the post-season, and we’ve had fast cars, we just haven’t executed races.

“I don’t know what it means and all that. I don’t read into that. But I think it shows that when we’re at our best, we can perform like this.”

He’s shown enough now for me to say he’s going to potentially become a champion.

Yes, through nine races those three top fives early in the season were his only ones. However, since that point, Byron has figured it out.

Byron is on his way to a Championship 4 berth at this point and if he can truly get there, he led 64 laps and was first and second respectively in the pair of stages to go along with a win at Phoenix. That’s the site of this year’s final round again.

Three times since 2016 did the #1 seed entering the playoffs win the championship. It happened in odd years at that – 2017, 2019, 2021….2023? They at least made the final round in all but one year (2020).

Enter Byron who comes into the postseason as the No. 1 seed.

You also have to consider that Byron is still so young at this. He’s only 25 years old and didn’t honestly start racing inside of a race car until 10 years ago. So, while some may say that he should be doing this in his sixth season at Hendrick, others have to realize that he’s only been doing this a decade in total. He just came though the ranks that quickly. It takes time to fully grasp it.

“Yeah, I think people around me have always kind of helped me understand that I’m young,” Byron noted after his Phoenix win earlier this season. “Max and my dad, just everyone, my dad especially, he’s a big stats guy. He’s like, Man, you’re young. Just give it some time.

“I’m very impatient, so I like things to happen quick. That’s how it happened for me coming up through.

“This level is so different. Took a lot of homework, a lot of details. I think the fact that I started later than most driving was a little bit — it took some time to bridge that gap at this level. Now that gap is bridged obviously.

“Yeah, I just feel like it’s a constant evolution, just trying to continue to get better.”

Jeff Gordon agreed.

“I see a progression with William ever since he came to Hendrick,” he says. “Got to remember how young he was coming into the Cup Series, so much to learn. Young in racing in so many ways.

“When Rudy came to Hendrick, the instant connection and chemistry between these two was so obvious. It just took the whole team up to another notch. I think now they’re just building on that.

“It’s a lot of fun to watch and see.”

Last year, Byron had 6 top 10 finishes in the 10-race postseason. He just lacked the playoff points. This year, he has them and going back to tracks to where he was good day earlier this season.

Darlington?

He won.

Kansas?

3rd.

Bristol and Texas are first time visits.

Talladega?

7th.

ROVAL? 1st time visit but he won the last road course race of the season in Watkins Glen.

Vegas?

He won.

Homestead? He can win.

Martinsville? He won last year.

Phoenix? He won this spring.

“I didn’t know that stat,” said Byron, who enters the postseason with 36 Playoff points, tied for most with Martin Truex Jr. “It’s nice to know that a lot of the tracks line up well for us. It’s a comforting thing to know that. But I don’t want to think too far ahead and get too excited about Vegas or even Phoenix, because we’re not there yet.

“So, we’ve got to get there first and hopefully this first round goes smooth and we don’t have too many headaches at night and can get through it.”

He’s hopeful of becoming the third different Hendrick Motorsports driver to win the championship in the last four years.

Byron doesn’t have a victory at any of the tracks in the Round of 12, and Talladega is particularly concerning.

“Talladega’s a weak track for us right now, admittedly,” said Byron, who leads the series with five victories this season. “We didn’t feel great about how Daytona went (last Saturday). We finished eighth but didn’t have a lot of up-front speed.

“So, we’ve just got to hopefully work on Talladega. The (Charlotte) Roval (Round of 12 elimination race) I feel good about, because we just won a road course race (at Watkins Glen).”