Saturday night, William Byron clinched the NASCAR Cup Series regular season championship at Richmond Raceway. His 12th-place finish and other results combined to put him 68 points clear at the top with just Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 to come before the playoffs start.
Clinching the regular season crown with a race to spare marked quite the turnaround for the 27-year-old. For most of the season, Byron has been the points leader much of the season. But in June and July, it appeared that the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 was a cursed car.
As a result of five finishes of 27th or worse over a seven-race stretch, Byron ceded the points lead to HMS teammate Chase Elliott after last month’s race at Dover.
But in the four races since he finished 32nd at Dover, he has outscored Elliott by 84 points. He reclaimed top spot with a win in the Iowa Corn 350 and ensured he would remain there for the start of the playoffs by finishing fourth at Watkins Glen and just outside of the top ten at Richmond Raceway.
But while Byron will head into the NASCAR Cup Series championship playoffs with the regular season title and valuable playoff points, it only counts for so much with oddsmakers. As of today, he sits no better than third in the latest Cup Series championship odds at BetOnline and other top online sportsbooks. Equal with or ahead of him are teammate Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Christopher Bell.
Current NASCAR Cup Series Championship Odds for William Byron
- BetOnline: +600
- Bovada: +550
- Everygame: +600
Do oddsmakers have it right? Should Byron be getting more love? How likely is it that the third time will be the charm for Byron after two third-place finishes in the Championship 4?
Let’s break down the case for Byron to merit shorter odds.
Why William Byron Should Be a Favorite for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship
The Cup Series playoffs will play out across a variety of tracks, and Byron can win on all of them.
In fact, he has wins on four of them (Darlington, Las Vegas, Martinsville, and Phoenix), including two wins at Martinsville.
Of the tracks that will host a playoff race, Byron has at least one top-five finish at all but one. That would be Gateway Motorsports Park, the home of the Enjoy Illinois 300. Byron’s best finish in three editions of that race is an eighth-place finish in 2023.
Also, while he came up short in the championship race at Phoenix in 2023 and 2024, he was strong overall in the playoffs in both years. Ini 2023, he had a win at Texas, six top-five finishes, and eight top-10 finishes. Last year, he didn’t win but recorded five top-fives and eight top-10s.
Luck has not fallen in his favor on a number of occasions this season, but if he can put together another consistent run of results in the playoffs, a third straight Championship 4 spot is a likely outcome.
If it happens, can he make it count this time? Some lessons have likely been learned from 2023 and 2024, with the biggest being to somehow shut Penske out of the Championship 4.
All of this is not said to say that he should be considered the driver to beat for the title. Larson, Blaney, and Elliott all have titles. Hamlin will be the most experienced driver in the playoff field unless Kyle Busch wins to get in. And many expect Bell to win a title in the very near future.
But Byron has some pretty strong credentials as well, and with his lousy luck seemingly behind him now, the best may be to come.
Other NASCAR Betting Content
Throughout the season, you can find predictions, picks, and expert NASCAR betting insight for many Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series races, as well as updates on the latest championship odds for William Byron and other NASCAR stars.
Are you new to betting on NASCAR? Check out our NASCAR betting guide to get your knowledge up to speed before placing your futures bets or wagering on upcoming races.
In addition to our dedicated betting guide, several of our sports betting guides are useful for wagering on NASCAR odds. That includes our guide to golf finishing position bets, which are similar in scope and approach to NASCAR finishing position bets.