William Byron will start the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs as the No. 1 seed for the first time in his career.
It is Byron’s fifth postseason appearance, and the 36 playoff points are the most he and the No. 24 team have ever earned. Byron led the series in victories (five) through the regular season.
Martin Truex Jr., who won the regular-season championship, is second to Byron. However, Truex tied Byron in playoff points through the 15 additional playoff points he earned through the regular-season title as the stage win that he earned Saturday night in Daytona.
Bubba Wallace took the final playoff spot available. Wallace is the only first-time driver in the postseason and begins as the No. 16 seed.
There are six former Cup Series champions in the playoffs: Truex, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick. Busch and Logano have won multiple championships, and Logano is the reigning series champion.
Ford has six drivers championship eligible. Chevrolet and Toyota each have five drivers in the hunt.
JTG Daugherty Racing is the only single-car team in the playoffs. RFK Racing and 23XI Racing were the only organizations with multiple cars to qualify all of their teams.