William Byron captured a scrappy third place finish in Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas. (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
FORT WORTH, Texas — On days when William Byron digs deep when he may not have the winning car, he channels his best Jimmie Johnson swagger. As evident in Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway, Byron gave it his all in an eventful ninth round of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Starting from the sixth position, it was clear that the 26-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native had his work cut out for him. While Kyle Larson, the polesitter and Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, rocketed to a Stage 1 win, Byron slipped to a ninth place finish.
In concert with multiple pit strategies and a rash of cautions, Byron dropped further back in Stage 2 with a 13th place finish. Still, the 66th annual DAYTONA 500 winner and his No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team were not giving up so easily.
Even with the topsy turvy results in Stages 1 and 2, Byron mounted a valiant rally toward the front of the field. By halfway into the race, he roared his way back to eighth place.
Inside the race’s final 15 laps, Byron was in position to win his second consecutive race at Texas and fourth overall of the 2024 season. Much like his 2023 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 win, Byron was inside the top five in multiple, critical restarts.
With Byron back up to third place, he appeared to have a car that had good short run pace. Namely, he had a solid opportunity to grab a runner-up result to nail another 1-2 finish for Hendrick Motorsports.
However, on the final lap of the second and final NASCAR Overtime session, Byron approached Turn 2 with a head of steam, closing the gap on second place runner Chastain. As Chastain attempted to block Byron’s momentum, the two tangled, sending the former into the backstretch wall.
William Byron scored a third-place result when all was said and done in Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas. (Photo: Sean Folsom | The Podium Finish)
Passed by Brad Keselowski in the backstretch before the caution came out, Byron, who temporarily had second, was credited with a third-place result.
Upon reflection, Byron was contrite about the unintended contact with Chastain.
“I just had a big run,” Byron explained. “Ross and I race really well, and I didn’t want to wreck him there, but he blocked me late, which is understood. It’s racing at the end, but I was already there and unfortunately, we made enough contact to where it got him squirrelly and it happened.
“I hate that that happened, but it’s the last lap and I had the run so I am going to just take the run. I didn’t expect it, but I don’t want to do that to a fellow Chevy guy, and we always race really well.”
In the world of racing, things can change where scenarios flip like a switch. A week before Texas, it was Byron prevailing over Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott.
On this occasion, Elliott stood victorious in Victory Lane while Byron settled for a third-place finish. It was not without hard work in spite of the late race tangle with Chastain.
“Happy for Chase and those guys,” Byron said. “They did a great job; executed really well and had a good car. Our No. 24 Liberty University Chevy, we struggled all day and had to fight tooth and nail all day just to keep our track position. We just had a few restarts go our way at the end.”
