Heading into Las Vegas, William Byron had gained more points than any other driver this season. But wrecks in the last two weeks have him outside the title hunt.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For 32 race weekends, William Byron ran at a consistent rate that all but guaranteed his shot at the NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Sure, there was a 21-race gap between his two victories from Daytona in February to Iowa in August, but he maintained a solid pace throughout the year. 

Even accounting for a miserable run of 27th or worse in four of five races in the summer, Byron excelled above his peers and won the regular season title with one race to spare.

After all the bonus points were settled, Byron began the playoffs in a tie for the points lead with his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Kyle Larson. 

Byron eased through the first two rounds and started the Round of 8 with a four-point cushion over the cutline. It was a small margin, but Byron’s consistency still made him a favorite to advance. He had gained the most points of any driver in the series up to that point.

And then, Byron’s hopes dwindled almost instantaneously.

At Las Vegas, Byron led 55 laps and ran in the Top 5 most of the day until a dumbfounding collision with Ty Dillon left him with a 36th-place finish. Dillon was just ahead of Byron, although not on the lead lap, when he significantly slowed down to hit pit road. 

Byron then slammed into the back of Dillon, ending both drivers’ days and leaving Byron 15 points behind fourth place, the final spot for the championship grid.

Dillon says his spotter was supposed to inform Byron’s team about him going to pit road. Byron says he didn’t receive any communication about Dillon’s move. 

At Talladega, Byron was on the front row on the final restart. He was shuffled behind Larson on the white flag. Larson ran out of fuel and ducked off track. Byron was essentially out of the conversation for a win but still had a shot at a Top 5 or Top 10. But Byron was spun off Carson Hocevar’s bumper as the field stacked coming to the finish, sending him back to a 25th-place result.

Together, the two wrecks leave Byron 36 points behind Larson for the final championship spot. He’s essentially in must-win territory at Martinsville, along with Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott. 

Byron has two wins at Martinsville and has the ninth-best finish among active drivers at the track.

NASCAR’s playoff format has led to some extremely definitive championship-losing moments. Carl Edwards’ wreck at Homestead in the 2016 title race, Logano’s run-in with Matt Kenseth at Martinsville in 2015, and Kevin Harvick’s dramatic last-lap crash out at Martinsville in 2020 are just a few moments that instantly derailed hopes for dominant drivers.

Even in NASCAR’s older formats, title hopes could seemingly end in an instant. Mark Martin crashed with J.J. Yeley at Charlotte in 2006 in a fashion eerily similar to Byron’s with Dillon. Dale Earnhardt’s 1989 North Wilkesboro crash with Ricky Rudd is sometimes credited with costing the former driver the title. Dave Allison crashed in the 1992 finale at Atlanta, ending his hopes.