William Byron expressed elation and relief with making the Championship 4 after a 13th place finish at Martinsville. (Photo: Phil Cavali | The Podium Finish)
RIDGEWAY, Va. — All things considered, William Byron’s season has been so sparkling, his performance at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday afternoon was a shocking struggle.
Heading into Sunday’s Xfinity 500, the 25-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina native tallied six wins, 14 top fives and 20 top 10 results. Despite qualifying 16th for Saturday’s race, there was some reason to believe in the No. 24 PODS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team’s chances at the paperclip shaped track.
Instead, it was a fight for survival as the Hendrick Motorsports racer, at times, fell below the cutline. When Denny Hamlin, his nearest adversary, won Stage 1, it seemed like a dream season was about to go by the wayside for the Charlotte, North Carolina native.
Crew chief Rudy Fugle and the No. 24 team did their best to keep their driver in the hunt following a 12th place finish in Stage 1. Much like his teammate, Kyle Larson, it was a bit of a struggle in Stage 2 for Byron and company due to a myriad of different pit strategies all in the name of track position and stage points.
Likewise, Byron, much like Larson, dealt with a car that was tight on the center of the corner. This made life a bit difficult to hug the inside line and jump back into the throttle on corner exit for the North Carolinian.
Despite placing 20th in Stage 2, the No. 24 team did not panic, opting to work on their car to get Byron in a respectable position. As Stage 3 arrived, it seemed that Byron was finally finding some pace out of his car, even if it seemed too little, too late.
Then again, Byron’s remarkable regular season and 41 Playoff points proved to be the cushion he needed despite having an off day. Hamlin placed third but Byron’s late race charge was more than enough to best the Chesterfield, Virginia native.
Crossing the line in 13th, Byron, who outlasted the hot, grueling conditions at Martinsville, needed some time cool down from his No. 24 car. Moments later, he shared his thoughts on his race day.
“I just had a gut feeling. I hate to say it…. I just had a gut feeling that we weren’t where we needed to be,” Byron said. “But, you’re hopeful that you can just kind of battle in the top 10 and try to get your way up there. And we just didn’t go forward. At the beginning of the race, we kind of went backwards. And then we were kind of in that 18th to 22nd range.
“I know my team knows that. They know that the car was off and we just stuck with it and tried to get the most we could. And they just kind of stuck by me. So yeah, I mean, I wasn’t my normal self this weekend. I was definitely really nervous because I didn’t have the feel in the car that I wanted to practice. And, it’s just I’ve ran enough races to know that. But we dug really deep today.”
Some drivers may not want to know what goes on in an intense Playoffs points battle during a race. However, Byron wanted his No. 24 team to keep him informed about his point situation, as fluid as points were for him and Hamlin.
The struggle may have real for William Byron and his No. 24 team, but it is reality that they are fighting for a championship at Phoenix. (Photo: Phil Cavali | The Podium Finish)
“I definitely wanted to know everything I could,” he said. The guys around me were changing a lot, and I just wanted to know what was going on. And the guys did a really good job to help me understand what was going on.”
Along with the points implications, Byron had to dig deep and channel some strength from his recent conditioning to be built to last grueling Cup races. If anyone pondered if Byron toned up in recent years, the answer is a resounding yes and his workouts paid off.
“I think so,” he said. “I can think back to maybe one race, like when I first started racing that I just, I was really skinny and I didn’t have the ability back then.
“But ever since then, I’ve started training and doing things and yeah, this one, you know, crept up on us and it was really bad in the spring until I ended up in infield care center. So just something about it this year has been tough, but we dug deep.”
Chad Knaus, Bryon’s former crew chief and Hendrick Motorsports’ Vice President of Competition, took notice of his pupil’s incredible efforts to make the Championship 4.
“Fantastic. Obviously, William and Rudy and that whole 24 team, they’ve had a tremendous year this year,” Knaus said. “And to be able to make it in the Final Four in Phoenix, that’s a really great accomplishment. Once you get out there, if you have a good weekend, you get yourself a position to win a race. So I’m pretty proud of those guys.”
“It wasn’t the best day, obviously, for them to be able to follow through and and make it and transfer,” he said. “That just shows a lot of potential out of that group.”
Most eyes may be on the recently surging Ryan Blaney, the quiet Christopher Bell and tenacious Larson at Phoenix. For Byron, that is all fine because he will compete for his first ever NASCAR Cup Series championship with the men and women who may make his dreams come true in “The Valley of the Sun” this coming Sunday in Avondale, Arizona.
“Man it’s awesome,” Byron said. “It is kind of a culmination of a lot of hard work by our whole team, and they deserve it, so I’m really happy for them.”
“I just try to keep some level of calmness, but it can get to you pretty easily. But just really proud of our team. Yeah, I’m going to go get some sleep, go get some hydration and go to bed and think about Phoenix.
Editor’s Notes
Nathan Solomon contributed to this article on-site from Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia.
