NASCAR Cup Series
William Byron Advances to Round of 8 With Late Charge to Win at Texas
Sep 24, 2023
William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team will breathe easy for the next two weeks knowing they are locked into the Round of 8 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs after scoring the surprising win in Sunday's Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. The victory was Byron's sixth of the 2023 season and marked the historic 300th for Hendrick Motorsports.
Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher, Christopher Bell and Martin Truex Jr. round out the top five in the driver standings heading to next week's wild-card race at Talladega Superspeedway
Pole-sitter Bubba Wallace entered the day 12th in the Playoff standings with no bonus points on his side, but after a strong run in the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota he was able to move to ninth in the standings, just two points behind Kyle Larson in eighth. Larson was in contention for the victory until the back end of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet came around while battling with Wallace for the race lead on Lap 250.
Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney both found trouble in separate incidents in Sunday's race, falling to the bottom of the Playoff standings after the opening race of the Round of 12.
NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 Driver Points
| Rank | Driver | Vehicle | Points | Ldr | Nxt | Race Wins | Stage Wins | Playoff Pts | GL | Starts | Top 5 | Top 10 | DNFs | Poles | Attempts |
| 1 | William Byron (P) | 24 | 3083 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 41 | 0 | 30 | 11 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 30 |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin (P) | 11 | 3074 | -9 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 32 | 1 | 30 | 12 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 30 |
| 3 | Chris Buescher (P) | 17 | 3059 | -24 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 21 | 2 | 30 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 30 |
| 4 | Christopher Bell (P) | 20 | 3057 | -26 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 3 | 30 | 8 | 16 | 3 | 6 | 30 |
| 5 | Martin Truex Jr. (P) | 19 | 3056 | -27 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 36 | -3 | 30 | 9 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 30 |
| 6 | Ross Chastain (P) | 1 | 3049 | -34 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 30 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 30 |
| 7 | Brad Keselowski (P) | 6 | 3045 | -38 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 30 | 6 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 30 |
| 8 | Kyle Larson (P) | 5 | 3039 | -44 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 24 | -4 | 30 | 13 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 30 |
| 9 | Bubba Wallace (P) | 23 | 3037 | -46 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 30 |
| 10 | Tyler Reddick (P) | 45 | 3036 | -47 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 15 | -2 | 30 | 9 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 30 |
| 11 | Ryan Blaney (P) | 12 | 3028 | -55 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 30 | 4 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 30 |
| 12 | Kyle Busch (P) | 8 | 3022 | -61 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 19 | -6 | 30 | 8 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 30 |
| 13 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | 2102 | -981 | 920 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 30 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 30 |
| 14 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | 2096 | -987 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 30 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 30 |
| 15 | Joey Logano | 22 | 2087 | -996 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 8 | -2 | 30 | 9 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 30 |
| 16 | Michael McDowell | 34 | 2087 | -996 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 30 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 30 |
| 17 | Chase Elliott (P) | 9 | 667 | -2416 | 1420 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 7 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
| 18 | Ty Gibbs # | 54 | 652 | -2431 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 30 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 30 |
| 19 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | 643 | -2440 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 30 |
| 20 | Alex Bowman | 48 | 612 | -2471 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 27 |
| 21 | AJ Allmendinger | 16 | 572 | -2511 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 30 |
| 22 | Aric Almirola | 10 | 529 | -2554 | 43 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 30 |
| 23 | Austin Cindric | 2 | 508 | -2575 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 30 |
| 24 | Justin Haley | 31 | 499 | -2584 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 30 |
| 25 | Ryan Preece | 41 | 498 | -2585 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 30 |
| 26 | Erik Jones | 43 | 497 | -2586 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 30 |
| 27 | Corey LaJoie | 7 | 493 | -2590 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 28 | Todd Gilliland | 51 | 456 | -2627 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 30 |
| 29 | Austin Dillon | 3 | 421 | -2662 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 30 |
| 30 | Chase Briscoe | 14 | 413 | -2670 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 30 |
| 31 | Harrison Burton | 21 | 382 | -2701 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 30 |
| 32 | Ty Dillon | 77 | 298 | -2785 | 84 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 30 |
| 33 | Noah Gragson | 199 | -2884 | 99 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 21 | |
| 34 | Cody Ware | 65 | -3018 | 134 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| 35 | Jenson Button | 45 | -3038 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 36 | Ryan Newman | 35 | -3048 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 37 | Andy Lally | 32 | -3051 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 38 | Mike Rockenfeller | 31 | -3052 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 39 | Travis Pastrana | 26 | -3057 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 40 | Jordan Taylor(i) | 16 | -3067 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 41 | Brodie Kostecki | 15 | -3068 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 42 | Jimmie Johnson | 12 | -3071 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| 43 | Kimi Raikkonen | 8 | -3075 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 44 | Jonathan Davenport | 1 | -3082 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 45 | Shane Van Gisbergen(i) | 0 | -3083 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 46 | Josh Berry(i) | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | |
| 47 | JJ Yeley(i) | 15 | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 21 |
| 48 | Zane Smith(i) | 38 | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 49 | Riley Herbst(i) | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 50 | Carson Hocevar(i) | 42 | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 51 | Austin Hill(i) | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |
| 52 | Chandler Smith(i) | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 53 | BJ McLeod(i) | 78 | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 19 |
| 54 | Josh Bilicki(i) | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 55 | Cole Custer(i) | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | |
| 56 | Grant Enfinger(i) | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 57 | Brennan Poole(i) | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | |
| 58 | Conor Daly(i) | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 59 | Gray Gaulding(i) | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 60 | Sheldon Creed(i) | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 61 | Anthony Alfredo(i) | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 62 | Kamui Kobayashi(i) | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 63 | Matt Crafton(i) | 0 | -3083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
The No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet secured the top spot in the owner standings with Byron's win in Sunday's race at Texas, with the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota in second, followed by the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford in third. The Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 and No. 19 Toyotas round out the top five.
While Chase Elliott is not eligible for the driver championship, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet remains in contention for the owner's title and heads to Talladega Superspeedway next week just two points behind the No. 5 HMS Chevrolet for the eighth and final transfer spot in the owner battle.
NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 Owner Points
| Rank | Owner | Points | Number | Ldr | Nxt | Race Wins | Stage Wins | Playoff Pts | Attempts |
| 1 | Hendrick Motorsports | 3083 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 41 | 30 |
| 2 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 3074 | 11 | -9 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 32 | 30 |
| 3 | RFK Racing | 3059 | 17 | -24 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 21 | 30 |
| 4 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 3057 | 20 | -26 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 30 |
| 5 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 3056 | 19 | -27 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 36 | 30 |
| 6 | Trackhouse Racing | 3049 | 1 | -34 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 30 |
| 7 | RFK Racing | 3045 | 6 | -38 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 30 |
| 8 | Hendrick Motorsports | 3039 | 5 | -44 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 24 | 30 |
| 9 | Hendrick Motorsports | 3037 | 9 | -46 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 30 |
| 10 | 23XI Racing | 3036 | 45 | -47 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 30 |
| 11 | Team Penske | 3028 | 12 | -55 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 30 |
| 12 | Richard Childress Racing | 3022 | 8 | -61 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 19 | 30 |
| 13 | Stewart-Haas Racing | 2102 | 4 | -981 | 920 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 30 |
| 14 | JTG Daugherty Racing | 2096 | 47 | -987 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 30 |
| 15 | Team Penske | 2087 | 22 | -996 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 30 |
| 16 | Front Row Motorsports | 2087 | 34 | -996 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 30 |
| 17 | 23XI Racing | 732 | 23 | -2351 | 1355 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 18 | Hendrick Motorsports | 658 | 48 | -2425 | 74 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 652 | 54 | -2431 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 20 | Trackhouse Racing | 643 | 99 | -2440 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 21 | Kaulig Racing | 572 | 16 | -2511 | 71 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 22 | Stewart-Haas Racing | 529 | 10 | -2554 | 43 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 |
| 23 | Team Penske | 508 | 2 | -2575 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 |
| 24 | Kaulig Racing | 499 | 31 | -2584 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 25 | Stewart-Haas Racing | 498 | 41 | -2585 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 |
| 26 | Legacy Motor Club | 497 | 43 | -2586 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 27 | Spire Motorsports | 478 | 7 | -2605 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 28 | Front Row Motorsports | 455 | 38 | -2628 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 29 | Richard Childress Racing | 421 | 3 | -2662 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 30 | Stewart-Haas Racing | 413 | 14 | -2670 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 31 | Wood Brothers Racing | 382 | 21 | -2701 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 32 | Legacy Motor Club | 349 | 42 | -2734 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 33 | Spire Motorsports | 298 | 77 | -2785 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 34 | Rick Ware Racing | 290 | 15 | -2793 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 35 | Rick Ware Racing | 277 | 51 | -2806 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 36 | Live Fast Motorsports | 226 | 78 | -2857 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 37 | Trackhouse Racing | 92 | 91 | -2991 | 134 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 38 | Front Row Motorsports | 55 | 36 | -3028 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 39 | Beard Motorsports | 46 | 62 | -3037 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 40 | Kaulig Racing | 43 | 13 | -3040 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 41 | 23XI Racing | 30 | 67 | -3053 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 42 | Richard Childress Racing | 15 | 133 | -3068 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 43 | Legacy Motor Club | 12 | 84 | -3071 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 44 | TMT Racing | 9 | 50 | -3074 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Photo Credit: Jim Fluharty/HHP for Chevy Racing
