William Byron led the Chevy camp in qualifying, posting the second fastest effort. (Photo: Myk Crawford | The Podium Finish)
LAS VEGAS – William Byron enters Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) hoping for a complete race weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Aside from the usual prospects of winning his first race of the year and earning a Playoffs spot, the 25-year-old hopes to snap out of a two-race skid.
Byron was in contention for his first Daytona 500 win before getting involved in a a Lap 203, Turn 3 multi-car crash.
While it is not unusual to be collected in a grinding accident of this nature at Daytona, last Sunday’s race at Fontana was puzzling for the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevy Camaro team.
After finishing sixth and 14th in Stages 1 and 2, Byron experienced a mechanical issue that sequestered him to a 25th place result.
In fairness, Byron had a slow start last year when he entered the Las Vegas race weekend in the 33rd points position.
This year, the sixth-year Cup racer ranks 29th and seeks a race performance indicative of their efforts above all else.
Byron seeks achievable results at Las Vegas. (Photo: Christopher Vargas | The Podium Finish)
Based on Saturday’s practice and qualifying rounds, it may be a great race day for Byron and his No. 24 team. While he ranked fifth overall on the practice charts, he was the quickest in a 10-lap run.
Moreover, the Charlotte, North Carolina native posted the second fastest time in qualifying, a satisfying effort.
“I felt good. That was a wide open lap there, so I’m not sure what I could have done different,” Byron said. “Maybe cut a little bit of the track off (turn) four and I could have just let the car kind of wind out.”
“I’m happy with the lap though. Being second is good. Not pumped to be second for the fact of not getting the pole, but at least it’s a good starting spot. I’m excited for that.”
Despite NASCAR’s edgier style of “win and you’re in,” Byron considers the big picture in relation to achieving goals.
“We just need a good, solid day with the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevy,” he said. “Hopefully we can get ourselves a win and move up the points standings.”
After all, a march toward the top of the points rankings has to be methodical and calculating.
Bryon looks for a much kinder race weekend at Las Vegas after finishes of 34th and 25th to kick off the year. (Photo: Myk Crawford | The Podium Finish)
Those are two of Byron’s best qualities as exemplified throughout his stock car career. Since 2021, Byron has placed 18th or better including finishes of eighth and fifth in the past two spring races.
Smooth and steady pays dividends especially at a track like Las Vegas, a venue that offers options for passing opportunities.
“Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) is a track that has a lot of character but it’s fast and really smooth compared to other mile-and-a-half tracks or even Auto Club (Speedway) last weekend,” he said in a team press release. “With it being so smooth, you really have to run and utilize all the lanes to be good. You can’t just stick to one lane all race long.”
Even if Byron’s car is strong and he keeps in contention throughout this 267-lap race, he understands it is about keeping up with a track with evolutionary changes in terms of tire wear.
“The track changes a lot with rubber build up, so you have to keep up with that to not get behind early in the race,” Byron said. “We’ve always seemed to run well there and I feel like we’re in a good position to do that again this weekend.”
