The facts and stats for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season

With the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season now in the rearview mirror, it’s time to take a look at the stats that tell the story of the year. Here are the things you should know about Ryan Blaney’s title-winning season.

• Ryan Blaney became the third driver in the last four seasons to win his first Cup Series title. Since Jimmie Johnson won his sixth title in 2013, eight drivers have won championships (including Johnson in 2016).

• Blaney’s eight top-five finishes are the fewest of any Cup Series champion in the modern NASCAR era (1972 to present). The previous low point for a champion was Tony Stewart’s nine top-five finishes in 2011.

• William Byron led the Cup Series with six wins. It is the second consecutive season in which only one driver achieved five or more wins.

• Byron and Kyle Larson had the most top-five finishes with 15 each. Only eight drivers had ten or more top-five finishes.

• Eight drivers achieved at least ten top-five placements. All eight achieved a victory.

• Byron led the Cup Series with 21 top-10 finishes. He was the only driver to achieve more than 20 places in the top 10. It is the first time since 1992 that multiple drivers failed to achieve at least 20 top-10 finishes.

• Brad Keselowski finished eighth overall, leading the winless drivers. Blaney finished eighth a season ago and was also the highest-placed winless driver. I’m just saying it.

• Byron led the Cup Series with an average of 11th place. Chris Buescher was second with 12.1.

• Blaney’s average finish of 14.1 was seventh among full-time Cup Series drivers (Chase Elliott included).

• Elliott gained an average of 4.2 places per race. Both Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Corey LaJoie gained four places per race.

• Christopher Bell led the Cup Series with an average starting position of 9.6. Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick tied for second place with 10.2. Reddick lost 5.5 places per race, while Bell lost 3.3 places per race and Hamlin only lost 2.2 places.

• Bell led the Cup Series with six pole positions. Fifteen drivers took at least one pole in 2023 and eight had multiple pole positions.

• LaJoie was the only driver to finish every race. Buescher and Kevin Harvick finished all but one race.

• Buescher led the Cup Series with 32 first-round finishes. Keselowski, his Roush Fenway teammate, finished second at 31.

• Buescher also completed the most miles in the Cup Series with 12,480.04.

• Among drivers who competed in all 36 races, Austin Dillon had the most DNFs. Dillon failed to finish ten races in 2023.

• These DNFs contributed to the worst season of Dillon’s career. He finished 29th in the Cup Series standings. His worst season to date came in 2019, when he was 21st.

• Bubba Wallace finished a career-best 10th in points after reaching the playoffs for the first time.

• Ty Dillon scored the fewest points of any driver who competed in all 36 races. Dillon averaged just 10.1 points per race. Elliott finished 17th in the standings and was the top non-playoff driver. Elliott averaged 28.3 points per race.

• Todd Gilliland was the only driver to compete in all 36 races and not lead a lap. Gilliland, Dillon and Harrison Burton were the only full-time drivers not to achieve a top-five finish.