Power Index: Ranking 2023 title contenders in 15 categories

Through 35 points-paying races, 12 driver eliminations and three competitive and combative rounds in the NASCAR Playoffs, the Championship 4 has been set. The only thing left to do? Determine the champion. We take a deep statistical look at William Byron, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney. Using a combination of data and intuition, all four drivers have been ranked in 15 categories, then given a point value for each (1 point for first place, 2 points for second, etc.). Totals were then added up to see the favorite. Scroll through to see who sits atop the Power Index.

Most poles in 2023: Christopher Bell 

Bell has racked up six Busch Light Pole awards this season, including four in the playoffs. 

2. William Byron (3)
3. Kyle Larson (2)
4. Ryan Blaney (0)

Best 2023 season: William Byron

A six-win campaign for the driver of the No. 24 in 2023 and a very strong postseason clearly overshadows one tough race at Martinsville last week. 

2. Kyle Larson
3. Christopher Bell
4. Ryan Blaney

Championship 4 experience: Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell

This season marks Larson and Bell's second appearances in the Championship 4. One difference: Larson won the title in his only previous appearance.

T-2. Ryan Blaney (1)
T-2. William Byron (1)

Most career wins: Kyle Larson

Larson has racked up 23 wins in 330 career starts in the Cup Series. 

T-2. Ryan Blaney (10)
T-2. William Byron (10)
4. Christopher Bell (6)

Best average running position in the playoffs: Kyle Larson

Larson owns the best average running position in the playoffs among his Champ 4 rivals with a 7.62 clip. 

2. Ryan Blaney (9.78)
3. Christopher Bell (9.89)
4. William Byron (10.15)

Best average finish in the playoffs: William Byron

Byron has been on a tear in the postseason, racking up an average finish so far of 6.33 in the last nine races. 

2. Christopher Bell (8.56)
3. Ryan Blaney (10.33)
4. Kyle Larson (11.89)

Best at Phoenix: Kyle Larson

Larson has an average finish of 11.72 at the 1-mile oval and rose to the moment in 2021. This is close, though.

2. William Byron (11.91)
3. Ryan Blaney (11.93)
4. Christopher Bell (14.43)

Best head-to-head: Kyle Larson

Larson bested his fellow Championship 4 competitors in 14 different races in 2023. 

2. William Byron (10)
3. Ryan Blaney (6)
4. Christopher Bell (5)

2023 spring Phoenix finish: William Byron

Byron was victorious at Phoenix in March; his second of six wins in 2023 so far. 

2. Ryan Blaney (2nd)
3. Kyle Larson (4th)
4. Christopher Bell (6th)

Most laps in top five at Phoenix (Next Gen car): William Byron

Byron has ran 621 laps inside the top five in three Next Gen races at Phoenix. 

2. Kyle Larson (585 laps)
3. Ryan Blaney (578 laps)
4. Christopher Bell (261 laps)

Most laps in top 10 (Next Gen car) at Phoenix: Ryan Blaney

Blaney has spent 901 laps inside the top 10 in three Next Gen starts at Phoenix. 

2. William Byron (840 laps)
3. Kyle Larson (771 laps)
4. Christopher Bell (541 laps)

Best average four-tire stop: William Byron

The No. 24 team was fastest on pit road all season long with an average four-tire stop time of 10.963 seconds. 

2. Kyle Larson
3. Ryan Blaney
4. Christopher Bell

Crew chief experience: Adam Stevens

This is the seventh appearance for Adam Stevens in the Championship 4; previously winning two titles with Kyle Busch and now making his second straight title apperance alongside Christopher Bell. 

2. Cliff Daniels
3. Rudy Fugle
4. Jonathan Hassler

Momentum heading to Phoenix: Ryan Blaney

A win at Martinsville will certainly have the No. 12 team amped to make it back-to-back on Sunday to nab their first title. 

2. Christopher Bell
3. Kyle Larson
4. William Byron

Best on restarts in 2023: Kyle Larson

2. Christopher Bell
3. Ryan Blaney
4. William Byron

4. Christopher Bell: 44 points

Strengths: Pit stall No. 1 is most important at Phoenix and Bell has nabbed four of the last nine pole awards. If he can put together the quickest hot lap on Saturday, the No. 20 team has a great chance Sunday. 

Weaknesses: However, in regard to the above, Bell has failed to capitalize after winning the pole, and those mistakes happen on pit road. Crew chief Adam Stevens has the most experience on top the box of his fellow competitors and will have to get his entire team in the right frame of mind to execute Sunday. 

3. Ryan Blaney: 43 points

Strengths: Blaney's biggest strength Sunday is that he's coming off a race win at Martinsville and enters Phoenix with all the momentum. The No. 12 spent the most time in the top 10 in the Next Gen car compared to Bell, Byron and Larson and Blaney was runner-up to Byron at Phoenix in the spring. 

Weaknesses: It's going to come down to how the No. 12 pit crew performs on pit road and how crew chief Jonathan Hassler calls the race for Blaney. Compared to fellow title contenders, Blaney has the slowest average four-tire stop and Hassler doesn't have the experience compared to Cliff Daniels, Rudy Fugle or Adam Stevens. 

2. William Byron: 34 points

Strengths: Byron knows how to get to Victory Lane in just about any scenario. We've seen him survive attrition and win a handful of races that went to overtime, he won a rain-shortened event in Atlanta and he can flat-out dominate races like he did at Watkins Glen. If he's able to nab pole position Saturday, that may be all the No. 24 needs to hoist his first title on Sunday. 

Weaknesses:  The low points for Byron are few and far between. No one has been better than the No. 24 in terms of overall performance, but if you want to look at an aspect, it's his average running position. Phoenix is all about being up front and if Byron finds himself behind his fellow title contenders out of the gate, it could spell trouble. 

1. Kyle Larson: 29 points

Strengths: Larson's had ups and downs throughout 2023, but one constant has been the speed on pit road by his crew. Larson has started inside the top five in the last three and won the pole for the spring Phoenix race. Everyone remembers the iconic final stop the No. 5 team put up to clinch the 2021 title. Is an encore on the way Sunday? 

Weaknesses: It's the results. Larson's average finish of 15.0 this season would be the worst on record by a Cup champion in the playoff era and even if he has the dominant car of the day, one mistake could spell disaster similar to Homestead.