CONCORD, N.C. – Hendrick Motorsports will have two of its drivers among the eight competitors remaining in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs as the elimination-style postseason moves on to the Round of 8.
William Byron raced his way in with a solid points day at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL on Sunday. He joins Chase Elliott in the round as the driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was already locked in with his win at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 2.
RELATED: Recap the race from the Charlotte ROVAL
Defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson saw his bid for back-to-back titles come to end at Charlotte. Damage from contact with the wall late in the race hindered his finishing position and ultimately saw him come up two points short of advancing. Christopher Bell’s win automatically advanced him into the next round. Since he was 11th in the standings, but had a win in the Round of 12, that moved the cutoff position in the Round of 12 to seventh in the standings – one spot above where Larson finished the round in points.
Alex Bowman, who missed the last two races with concussion-like symptoms, was eliminated from the playoffs at the conclusion of the Round of 12.
Hendrick Motorsports has won the last two spring races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Larson won in 2021 – his first of 10 wins in his championship season. Bowman won this year’s race at the 1.5-mile track. All in all, the organization has seven wins at this track with Jimmie Johnson notching a team-best four victories and Jeff Gordon also posting a win.
Get to lowdown on how each of the Hendrick Motorsports playoff drivers are positioned heading into the opening race of the Round of 8. Be sure to tune in to the race at Las Vegas on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Chase Elliott, No. 9
POINTS POSITION: First
POSITION TO CUTOFF LINE: +31
ROVAL RESULT: 20th
LAS VEGAS SPRING RESULT: Ninth
LAS VEGAS OUTLOOK: With the points reset for the Round of 8, Elliott starts atop the standings. The biggest key out of the gate for the 2020 champion is to avoid the trouble that has befallen him in previous opening races (36th at Darlington Raceway in the Round of 16 and 32nd at Texas Motor Speedway in the Round of 12) of a playoff round this postseason. A clean start to the round should help the 26-year-old keep his points advantage at the outset. Elliott’s Las Vegas statistics portend that a solid start in this round is on the horizon as he has two straight top 10s here – including a runner-up finish in last year’s playoff race. His 166 laps led over the last five races at this 1.5-mile track are the third-most in that stretch.
William Byron, No. 24
POINTS POSITION: Sixth
POSITION TO CUTOFF LINE: -3
ROVAL RESULT: 16th
LAS VEGAS SPRING RESULT: Fifth
LAS VEGAS OUTLOOK: Byron’s three top-10 finishes at Las Vegas have come in the last six races at this venue. His track-best fifth-place run came in the spring. The 24-year-old has found a solid level of consistency this postseason (four top 10s in six races and an 8.7 average finish) and he’ll need to ride that wave to improve his hopes of advancement. This is the lone track in the Round of 8 that the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has yet to win at – he does have victories at Homestead-Miami (in 2021) and Martinsville (in 2022). A solid start in the Round of 8 will boost his chances of reaching the Championship 4.
DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS ENTERING LAS VEGAS
1-Chase Elliott: 4,046 points
2-Joey Logano: 4,026 points
3-Ross Chastain: 4,021 points
4-Christopher Bell: 4,018 points
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5-Ryan Blaney: 4,015 points
6-William Byron: 4,015 points
7-Denny Hamlin: 4,013 points
8-Chase Briscoe: 4,009 points
Even though, Larson is not title eligible in the driver championship battle, the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team is still in the middle of the battle for the owner championship. Larson won at Las Vegas in the spring of 2021, has five top-five finishes, nine top-10s and a 9.2 average finish in 12 starts there. The 1.5-mile venue stands as one of his best tracks on the circuit.
OWNER CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS ENTERING LAS VEGAS
1-No. 9 team: 4,046 points
2-No. 22 team: 4,026 points
3-No. 1 team: 4,021 points
4-No. 5 team: 4,020 points
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5-No. 20 team: 4,018 points
6-No. 24 team: 4,015 points
7-No. 11 team: 4,013 points
8-No. 14 team: 4,009 points