William Byron's prolonged slump culminates in losing NASCAR points lead

Over the last five weeks, William Byron has seen his once-strong NASCAR Cup Series points lead evaporate. 

That coincides with a seven-week stretch in which Byron has five finishes of 27th or worse and no top-five efforts.

Following Sunday's race at Dover Motor Speedway, Byron lost the lead in the regular season standings for the first time since Kansas on May 11. He hasn't fallen below second in the standings all season, but that's now a possibility with five races remaining in the regular season. 

A 31st-place result at Dover culminated in Chase Elliott taking over the points lead, which he holds by 16 points over Byron. 

Byron's 31st-place finish at Dover is his fourth finish of 27th or worse over the last five weeks, a slump only broken up by an eighth-place finish at Sonoma on July 13. 

Byron was putting together a solid day at Dover on Sunday, earning 12 stage points, before he was collected in a Lap 393 crash that started when Christopher Bell spun while racing Denny Hamlin for the lead. 

Byron and the No. 24 team are in need of a shot in the arm at Indianapolis on July 27 — a race that Byron crashed out of and finished 38th in a year ago.