William Byron topped the 2025 regular season, clinching the championship at Richmond with strong wins and steady stage points. Though July brought setbacks, he bounced back in August with renewed form. Even so, Kevin Harvick sees Byron’s season as a reflection of Gen 7’s unpredictability, fast, but far from flawless.

Byron’s rocky July included mechanical issues and off-track incidents, but his resilience showed in August with sharper execution under pressure. He clinched his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship with a solid 12th-place finish at Richmond Raceway, securing a 68-point lead over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott, enough to wrap up the title with one race to spare.

Kevin Harvick credits Byron’s speed, questions Gen 7 consistency

As of the Richmond race in August 2025, William Byron has accumulated 32 playoff bonus points, 15 for winning the regular-season championship and 17 from race wins and stage victories. The regular-season crown underscores that, even amid struggles, Byron’s ability to rebound and perform under pressure has been pivotal to his success.

Speaking on his Happy Hour podcast, Harvick let his feelings be known about Byron’s 2025 season. He said, “Yeah, and when I look at it, William Byron has won two races, you know, and when I think of his season as a whole, it’s been pretty up and down, but I think that they’ve performed pretty well. I think a lot of that—I think next-gen racing in general is more inconsistent than what we’ve been used to in the past.”

The Gen 7 car was designed to revolutionize NASCAR with better speed, safety, and competition. But its impact has been mixed. Short tracks and road courses now see fewer overtakes, with drivers relying more on strategy than close quarters racing.

Kevin further said, “I think you’re going to have more DNFS, you’re going to have more off weeks. And how do you minimize those off weeks, but as I look at this list, I can’t pick anybody out that’s had a better regular season.”

In this turbulent context, William Byron’s championship trajectory stands out. Despite a strong overall campaign, the Hendrick Motorsports driver’s 2025 season wasn’t without its setbacks; he recorded three DNFs, including a standout rough weekend at the Chicago Street Course.

Byron’s weekend at Chicago unraveled fast, after a practice crash and clutch failure on lap one, he finished 40th. Still, he’s completed about 95% of laps across 25 races, showing overall consistency despite a few setbacks.

Kevin Harvick added, “With William Byron winning the regular season championship, he’s got 241 stage points. The next guy is 217, and that’s Ryan Blaney. So, you know, and it’s a pretty good gap after those guys, you know, from a stage point. So, those guys have scored a lot of stage points. And when you’re scoring stage points, what does that mean? Means you get up front. It means you’re running up front. So, when you’re running up front, and to me that shows that you have speed in your car, but that’s a lot of damn stage points.”

The Hendrick Motorsports driver has firmly established himself as one of NASCAR’s fastest drivers, proven by his dominance in stage points. His consistency, scoring high in numerous stage breakups, including runner-up stage finishes at Richmond and Darlington and a win at Iowa, demonstrates his knack for accumulating valuable points even when outright victories aren’t always in reach.

Amid Kevin Harvick demanding a NASCAR rebrand, the Hall of Famer has already picked his favorite for the regular season finale at Daytona.

Kevin Harvick predicts his race winner for Daytona

Kevin Harvick is eagerly anticipating the NASCAR Cup Series returning to Daytona International Speedway this weekend; it is set to be a thrilling finale to the regular season. Harvick isn’t rooting for himself this time; instead, he is betting on a fellow veteran to break his winless streak. He predicted, “I’m going to go with another guy that needs to get back to Victory Lane, Brad Keselowski.”

Brad Keselowski’s most recent triumph at Daytona came at the 2016 Coke Zero 400, the summer Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Then driving the No. 2 Ford for Team Penske, Keselowski dominated the event, leading 115 laps throughout and securing the win after an overtime finish, marking his first career Cup victory at Daytona.

Ever since, Keselowski has built a reputation at Daytona for his aggressive, strategic approach to superspeedway racing, often relying on bold drafting moves that both earn him respect and spark controversy.

Known for precise positioning in the draft, seamless pit coordination, and calculated risk-taking in the finals, he uses drafting not just for speed but to disrupt competitors’ momentum. This high-risk, high-reward style has brought him wins but also clashes, making him one of the most unpredictable and polarizing contenders whenever the NASCAR Cup Series heads to the iconic track.

Still, he remains an intriguing choice, always capable of contending for victory when the Cup Series hits the superspeedways, particularly with playoff implications hanging in the balance.