New NASCAR Rule Hands Kyle Larson Top Playoff Seed Over William Byron

William Byron celebrated the NASCAR Cup Series regular season championship but when the playoff field reset, it was his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson who grabbed the coveted top seed. 

The twist comes down to a new wrinkle in NASCAR’s points system. Larson and Byron are tied at 2,032 points heading into the Round of 16. But because Larson has more wins (three compared to Byron’s two), he gets the edge on the official playoff grid. What’s more, Larson’s path to the top seed was aided by a brand-new rule: a bonus point awarded each week to the driver who records the fastest lap. 

Larson claimed the fastest lap bonus in four races this year — Circuit of the Americas, Kansas Speedway, Mexico City, and Watkins Glen. Incredibly, two of those came in races where the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet had to return to the track after lengthy repairs. Even laps down, Larson’s speed was enough to snatch the bonus point away from the leaders. 

Those four points proved decisive. Larson ended the regular season just three points ahead of teammate Chase Elliott, who didn’t score a single fastest lap bonus. That slim margin meant Larson secured third in the standings instead of fourth, and the additional playoff bonus point brought his total to 32 — points that will carry through every round, even after resets.