William Byron hopes for more results like the Round of 16 starting at Las Vegas. (Photo: Christopher Vargas | The Podium Finish)
LAS VEGAS – William Byron’s Round of 12 can be described best by a 2002 Avril Lavgine song – “Anything But Ordinary.”
The record will show that Byron kicked off the prior NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs round with a seventh at Texas. However, a bit of frustration between the Charlotte, North Carolina native and Denny Hamlin led to some paint trading and disciplinary actions dealt to the former by NASCAR.
While Hendrick Motorsports’ appeal resulted in a heavier monetary fine, the initial 25 point penalty was rescinded by an appeals board.
Instead of a seventh place finish that originally netted 17 points from the penalty, Byron logged 42 points alongside a 12th at Talladega and 16th at the Charlotte ROVAL.
Byron’s somewhat roller coaster results combined with some Charlotte ROVAL hi jinxes for Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric and Daniel Suárez netted a ticket into the Round of 8.
Ahead of Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las VEgas Motor Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC), Byron considered his journey and the intensity prevalent in the NASCAR Cup Series.
All in all, Byron has to like his chances ahead of Sunday’s race. (Photo: Landen Ciardullo | The Podium Finish)
“Everyone has their own path. My path was really accelerated in each series,” Byron said in a team press release. “When I got to Cup, it was a tremendous learning curve.
“I think once you get to the Cup Series, it’s just a steep learning curve that nothing can prepare you for. Especially now, the car has made the series ultra-competitive.
Undoubtedly, the Next Gen car has been an often discussed topic in terms of the closer competition and safety concerns.
Ahead of the Playoffs, Byron netted victories at Atlanta and Martinsville before getting into a bit of a summer swoon. Lately, Byron’s found some of his early season as evident by his eighth at Darlington, sixth at Kansas and third at Bristol, his Round of 16 race results.
With four races remaining before the season’s conclusion, Byron knows the margin for error is nearly nil.
“This level is the best of the best and it’s going to take everything you have to make it to the Championship 4,” he observed. “Making the Round of 8 was our goal at the start of the season, and anything short of that would have seemed like failure.”
For a young driver like Byron, who thrives on his tenacious, bold driving style, he has channeled his approach to be more methodical and in the present versus in the immediate future.
“We’re now focused on what we need to do to fight for a championship in Phoenix. It’s one race at a time,” he remarked.
Earlier this year, Byron tallied a fifth place result at Las Vegas for his No. 24 team. Certainly, Byron’s fleet of cars still have that patented Hendrick power and speed.
Regardless, Byron and his peers have a bit of different beast to contend with at Las Vegas. Mainly, a different tire compound will be utilized for the South Point 400 race weekend.
Rudy Fugle, Byron’s crew chief, notes how the different compound and weather conditions may factor into a somewhat unknown race day in the Sin City.
“This is another track that we’ve already raced at this year with the Next Gen car but so much has changed that there’s not much we can use from that race to prepare for this weekend,” Rudy acknowledged. “It will not only be hotter this time, but we’re also running a different tire than we did in the spring.”
If there is any comfort for Byron and Fugle, they can turn to their top seven results at Texas and Kansas last month which utilized this tire compound.
Based on Byron’s results in the Playoffs races at Kansas and Texas, it could be a memorable race day in the Sin City. (Photo: Landen Ciardullo | The Podium Finish)
“It’s the same tire we ran at Texas (Motor Speedway) and Kansas (Speedway),” he observed. “It’s a bit softer, which means it will wear out more than before especially on a slick track.
“We’ve learned a lot about the car since the spring, especially at the most recent mile-and-a-half mile tracks which gives us some confidence for this weekend.”
With a third place starting position for Sunday’s race, perhaps Byron, Fugle and the No. 24 team can roll the dice to earn a Championship 4 spot at Phoenix Raceway.
