By Luis Torres, Staff Writer
On an afternoon where several Round of 8 drivers endured a plethora of drama, William Byron was one of the very few who left Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a trouble-free Sunday.
An outcome any driver pines in having.
Although Byron’s No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet was among the quickest cars on the grid, he was no match for the likes of Christopher Bell and race winner Joey Logano in terms of raw pace and fuel strategy respectively.
In the end, Byron began this Playoff round with a fourth-place finish in the South Point 400, extending his late-season top-five run to four consecutive races. A key run that can make a difference of making it back into the Championship 4 or being eliminated at Martinsville Speedway in two weeks.
However, a top-five run isn’t what Byron and his Hendrick Motorsports crew wanted. They’re in the business of winning that’ll lock him into the title race at Phoenix Raceway which Logano got the luxury of doing so after 267 chaotic laps.
“It’s going to take a win, I feel like,” said Byron, who led one lap. “So we have to keep working for it and keep running up front.
“If we run up front, it will do two things – we’ll be able to compete for a win and score a lot of points. We just have to keep running like this.”
With several Playoff racers having pit issues or collected in accidents, Byron carried the Chevrolet banner for much of the day by being inside the top-five, including a fourth and third in the opening two stages.
As the race was winding down, Byron saw himself challenging Bell for the lead with 58 laps remaining. It reached a point of passionate emotions that crew chief Rudy Fugle told Byron to “out discipline” Bell like he did in the Truck Series in 2016.
However, Bell would get the last laugh and continued leading until decision time rolled along in the closing stages of the 400-mile race. Byron’s top-five streak came down to him and Bell pitting before the race reached its final 35 laps.
The No. 24 squad pitted for four tires and fuel with handling feeling a bit too free for Byron’s liking.
Meanwhile, Logano and Daniel Suarez were among the few who’ve stretched their fuel mileage and took control of the race. Byron saw himself outside the top-10 and while Bell rallied aggressively to get back into the top-three at race’s end, Byron was able to move up the running order albeit seconds behind Bell.
“It was pretty dire there in the beginning of the race, then we had that two-tire call, got a bunch of stage one points,” said Byron on pit stops throughout the day. “We really managed our race well, had really a good shot at winning in the last stage. The 20 (Bell) was really good.”
Coming to nine to go, Byron passed John Hunter Nemechek for fifth to keep his top-five streak alive. Two laps later, Byron made quick work on fellow Playoff contender Denny Hamlin for fourth where he ultimately settled.
Following finishes of second, a pair of thirds, and now fourth, Byron’s momentum has been a net gain which brings some optimism in the remaining races.
“We really improved a lot as the day progressed. That was a lot to be said about this No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevy team, and our ability to get the balance close and get the speed once we had the balance close,” Byron commented.
“We just started the race a little bit off, but I’m really, really happy with how we came on. I thought we were going to have a shot to compete for a win there in the final stage, but it turned into a fuel mileage race. Just sucks.”
Heading into Homestead-Miami Speedway, a venue Byron previously won in 2021, he holds the fourth and final spot by 27 points over Hamlin.
“We’ll go to Homestead. It’s a really good track for us,” said Byron. “Work on a few things. Should be able to have a really good day there.”
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