2023 NASCAR Season Superlatives: Driver of the Year, Most Improved, Best Race
With the season behind us and the New Year ahead, let’s take a look at the 2023 NASCAR season and hand out some awards and superlatives. Here, we’ll go over the Driver of the Year, Most Improved Driver, and Best Race in the Cup Series this past season.
The NASCAR Playoffs can provide drama and excitement. However, the driver who had the “best season” isn’t always the one who comes out on top in the Championship 4. This year, Ryan Blaney won the championship, but he didn’t lead the Cup Series in wins, stage wins, laps led, or any of those categories.
So, as we decide our “Driver of the Year” it is important to take the year in as a whole. This one goes out to the driver who showed the most consistency throughout the season and came out with a career-best season.
Driver of the Year: William Byron
Poles: 4
Stage Wins: 9
Wins: 6
Top-5s: 15
Top-10s: 21
Laps Led: 1016
William Byron led the Cup Series in Wins, Stage Wins, Top-5s (tied with Kyle Larson), and Top-10s. Byron also led the second most laps this season as he had a breakout year in the 2023 NASCAR season.
After falling short in Phoenix, the 26-year-old driver was the youngest in the Championship 4. Now, he’s hungry for more. The Hendrick Motorsports star is hoping to notch a 10-win season in 2024.
2023 NASCAR Most Improved Driver
At times in the Cup Series, it is hard to see radical improvement. Byron was able to get it done with his breakout season. However, I wouldn’t say that he was the “Most Improved” despite his stellar year. Also, we’re trying to avoid too many repeats here.
In the 2023 year, there were a few drivers that showed improvement by delivering career-best seasons. Bubba Wallace is a driver who had a massively improved season compared to his previous efforts. However, without a win in 2023 it is hard to give him this award.
Instead, it’s going to a driver who managed to win back-to-back races late in the season and followed it up with a third win in just five races.
Most Improved Driver: Chris Buescher
DNF: 1
Stage Wins: 2
Wins: 3
Top-20s: 31
Avg. Finish: 12.1
Laps Led: 255
For Chris Buescher, the three wins in five weeks were major. He looked like he was going to march into the playoffs and steal the show. While that didn’t happen, Buescher won a career-high in races, led the series in Top-20 finishes, was second overall in average finish among full-time drivers, and finished 7th overall in the postseason.
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Buescher’s best effort before this was a 16th-place finish back in 2016. Now, Buescher looks like the guy at RFK Racing. Following a career-best season, what more does Buescher have in store for NASCAR in 2024?
Best Race of the 2023 Season
A total of 36 points paying races plus the Busch Light Clash and All-Star Race – it makes it hard to determine a “Best Race” winner. However, after much consideration, I think that I was able to land on an answer most will agree with.
In my heart, I wanted to give this award to the Chicago Street Race. To battle historic rainfall, with everything but the races canceled for the weekend (and both events shortened), fans showed out in person and on television.
Not to mention, Shane van Gisbergen won in his Cup Series debut. That was a defining moment of the 2023 NASCAR season. But it wasn’t the best race of the year.
Best Race in 2023: AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway
Winner: Denny Hamlin
Runner-Up: Kyle Larson
Post-race Fight: Ross Chastain vs. Noah Gragson
The race at Kansas Speedway back in May delivered what might be the best race of the Next Gen era so far. These cars have taken to the 1.5-mile tracks in a way no one expected. Call it a happy accident. And Kansas in particular has delivered four great races in a row now.
Add in the fact that Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson gave us a race to the line that we will be seeing for years. Add in that it ended up being the best rivalry of the year. Not to mention the post-race fight between Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson and you have an instant classic.
We’ll be giving out more accolades and awards as the New Year approaches.