Byron opens NASCAR’s next round of playoffs as championship favorite
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LAS VEGAS — William Byron returns to Las Vegas Motor Speedway as the betting favorite to win the Cup title as the round of eight of NASCAR’s playoffs opens.
He is in great shape with a series-high six victories this season, and his first win of the year came at Las Vegas in March. A win Sunday would lock him into the title-deciding championship finale and give him the next two weeks to prepare.
Byron doesn’t care what the oddsmakers say about his chances and, Saturday, wouldn’t declare himself the favorite.
“I don’t know. That’s for you guys to decide,” Byron said. “I just go out there and drive. For me, it’s one step at a time. It really is. Take it one step at a time in each race of this round. I’m not looking too far ahead, honestly.
It’s a tough field to evaluate, with only two former champions among the final eight, and only half the field has even made it to the championship round. Kyle Larson is seeking a second Cup title in three years, and Martin Truex Jr. is looking to add to his 2017 championship.
Truex was the regular-season champion but has had a horrible playoffs. He doesn’t have a finish higher than 17th through the first six playoff races, and Truex goes into Las Vegas with seven consecutive finishes outside the top 15, his worst streak since 2009.
He made it to the round of eight based only on all the bonus points he earned during the regular season.
“I didn’t create the system. We used it to our advantage,” Truex said. “That won’t get us through the next (round). The next one, you’ve got to be running up front. Need to turn it up and we need to figure it out quickly.”
His Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell, have been far better in the postseason, and both have been to the championship round before. Hamlin has lost five championships and is considered the greatest NASCAR driver to never win a Cup title.
Reddick, who is in the round of eight for the first time in his career and in his first season with 23XI, gives Toyota 50% of the field. Ford is represented by Chris Buescher and Ryan Blaney, who have never reached the championship finale, and Chevrolet has the Hendrick Motorsports contingent of Byron and Larson.
Bell put his Toyota on the pole for Sunday’s race by bumping Larson from the top starting spot.
Bell turned a lap at 186.335 mph to better the Chevrolet of Larson, which went 186.271. It is the sixth pole of the season for Bell.
Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Byron, qualified third and was followed by Truex and Buescher of RFK Racing, as playoff contenders took the top five spots.
Kyle Busch, who was eliminated from title contention last week, qualified sixth at his home track. He was followed by Bubba Wallace, who also was eliminated last week.