Major NASCAR Snubs as Autosport Releases the Top 50 Motorsport Drivers in 2023

Autosport has revealed its annual list of the 2023’s Top 50 drivers. The renowned motorsports publishing brand has continued the tradition since 2002, and every year, the announcement creates some suspense within the racing community. Highlighting the 50 standout performers in motorsports for the year, Autosport has included several NASCAR drivers in the prestigious list.

William Byron leads the list of NASCAR drivers with a 12th-place ranking as Kyle Larson and 2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney join him. The scarcity of NASCAR drivers in the rankings has raised some eyebrows. With the year producing numerous cases of NASCAR drivers standing out with their consistency and skills behind the steering wheel, let us look at some of the major exclusions from Autosport’s Top 50 Drivers of 2023.

1. Chris Buescher

RFK Racing found a fresh breath of motivation this year. Since Brad Keselowski arrived in 2022, the team has continued evolving on and off the track. While Keselowski has certainly instilled his experience and winning mentality within the team, he failed to produce a race win in 2023. Instead, it was Chris Buescher who outshone the Cup Series veteran with his best-ever season in NASCAR’s premier competition.

Chris Buescher ended his season with three wins, nine top-5s, and 17 top-tens. Two of his three wins in 2023 came in succession at Richmond and Michigan. Buescher continued his dream run in the Cup Series playoffs and eventually finished 7th in the final standings. The #17 Ford Mustang driver could not, however, secure a win in the Round of 8 and did not have enough points to make a case for the championship four race at Phoenix.

Overall, he has been one of the season’s standout performers and displayed incredible grit and consistency throughout the year. His performances in 2023 make a strong case for a place in the best 50 drivers of the year.

2. Denny Hamlin

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Finding a fan of Denny Hamlin in the NASCAR fandom is a tough task. Continuously surrounded by controversy, Joe Gibbs Racing‘s #11 Toyota Camry driver has been subject to a lot of criticism. However, his ability as a race car driver has never been in doubt. As the season entered its decisive phase of the playoffs, it seemed like 2023 would be the year Hamlin’s championship drought finally ended.

The 43-year-old dominated the first round of the playoffs and was the driver to watch out for. He eventually won his first playoff race in Bristol and cruised to the next round. However, Hamlin revealed recently that a shoulder injury prevented him from being at the best of his abilities as the playoffs progressed. Having to depend much on his weaker arm, Hamlin stayed in contention for the championship four race until the final race in Martinsville.

He secured three wins, 14 top-fives, and 19 top-10 finishes in 2023. He also led a whopping 998 laps, which makes his omission from Autosport’s list seem unjustified. He finished 5th in the final standings and was one of the most consistent and best performers of the 2023 NASCAR season. From the looks of it, a championship trophy would have surely put him in the upper echelons of Autosport’s Top 50.

3. Christopher Bell

As unfortunate as Denny Hamlin was, his JGR teammate Christopher Bell must have felt hard done by after an impressive season. The #20 Toyota Camry driver progressed to the championship race for a second successive season. However, a cruel twist of fate waited for him in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, as he was forced to retire early from the biggest race of his career with a broken brake rotor.

Bell’s 2023 season has gone under the radar. With an average starting position of 9.6, the 29-year-old was the sole driver to have an average starting position below 10. A win in the Round of 8 race at Homestead-Miami propelled him to a consecutive Championship 4 appearance. Christopher Bell also dominated the qualifying races throughout the season, especially in the playoffs. Bell recorded poles in the first three races of the playoffs to begin his playoff campaign on a superb note.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver finished the season with two wins, 19 top-tens, and ten top-5s in 2023. He eventually finished fourth in the final NASCAR Cup Series standings and was another one of the prominent performers of the calendar year.

4. Tyler Reddick

2023 was a year of milestones for 23XI Racing. The team had two drivers in the Cup Series playoffs for the first time since its inception. One of the major reasons behind its success in 2023 is #45 Toyota Camry driver Tyler Reddick.

Alongside team owner Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick was the pick of the drivers in the first round of the NASCAR playoffs. The 27-year-old California native showcased his road course prowess with a win at COTA earlier this year. Carrying the momentum to the playoffs, Reddick won in Kansas in the Round of 16 to gain more traction for his championship push. He also had one of the best average starting positions among the drivers, with an average of 10.167, despite having only two poles to his name.

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Tyler Reddick finished sixth in the final standings and ended the season with two wins, ten top-5s, and 16 top-10s. He also led 470 laps throughout the season and recorded his best-ever finish in the Cup Series. Reddick was among the dark horses for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series title and certainly held the potential to win the competition.

5. Ross Chastain

Ross Chastain‘s performance in 2023 was one of the many positives for Trackhouse Racing this season. The 30-year-old Floridian created history in the season finale by becoming the first non-championship driver to win the Championship 4 race since the introduction of the new playoff system in 2014. Driving the #1 Chevrolet Camaro, the “Melon Man” equaled his career-best tally of two wins in a season after victories in Nashville and Phoenix.

While his on-track expertise was one of the notable points in 2023, his off-track antics didn’t go unnoticed either. Ross Chastain was clouded in controversy after a fistfight with Noah Gragson and on-track altercations with Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson. While his cutthroat racing style appeased the fans, his driving skills didn’t waver either.

Chastain scored two wins, ten 1op-5s, and 14 top-tens, while leading 640 laps in 2023. He also led the NASCAR Cup Series standings for seven weeks and had a career-best 28 lead lap finishes. Overall, Ross Chastain has been one of the most resilient NASCAR drivers of 2023 and deserves a mention among NASCAR’s very best.

Two more drivers to have featured in the 2023 NASCAR season and Autosport’s Top 50 Drivers are Supercars racers Shane van Gisbergen and Brodie Kostecki. While the pair battled for the championship in the Australian racing circuit, they also raced at the Indianapolis road course race earlier this season. SVG had earlier created history by winning in his NASCAR debut at the inaugural Chicago Street Race.

These are some major exclusions that could have been featured in Autosport’s annual list. At the same time, motorsports is a vast field with elite competitions taking place the world over. Some fan favorites are bound to be left out.

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