William Byron Strikes with Go Bowling at The Glen Victory

William Byron celebrates a dominant Go Bowling at The Glen victory. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – When Jeff Gordon won the Go Bowling at The Glen in 2001, William Byron was only three years old.

Most recently, the Charlotte, North Carolina native was only eight when Gordon won the most recent road course race in the No. 24 Chevrolet in 2006. All things considered, it was a bit of a throwback to the early 2000s with Byron’s dominant performance.

Starting from the second position, the 25-year-old sixth-year NASCAR Cup Series racer made his presence known from Lap 21 onward. While the opening laps belonged to Michael McDowell, the Stage 1 winner, Byron lurked in a not so distant second place.

The race’s first turning point came during the race’s first green flag pit stop cycle when McDowell was penalized for driving through too many pit stalls during the onset of Stage 2. Dropping from first to 15th, Byron assumed command of the race, fittingly, on Lap 24.

From there on, competitors felt a lot like Gordon’s challengers during his road course racing heydays from 1997 to 2006. In essence, the field saw the rear spoiler of the No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro prepared by Hendrick Motorsports.

Byron drove to a Stage 2 win, netting 19 stage points and a valuable Playoff point. More importantly, he had the car to beat even when the race’s only caution ensued on Lap 57 when Chase Elliott stopped in the Bus Stop due to running out of fuel.

Elliott, in pursuit of a Playoffs spot, was relegated to a 32nd place, declining to comment further following the race.

On the other hand, Byron had the kind of race that drivers could only dream about at Watkins Glen International. Nary putting a foot wrong in the 90-lap race, Byron drove to a dominant, 2.632 second victory over Denny Hamlin.

For the first time since 2007, the No. 24 Chevrolet has won at least five races in a Cup season. Although Byron will not win the regular season championship, his fifth win was a statement to his competitors ahead of the postseason.

Byron captured the No. 24 car’s first Watkins Glen win since 2001. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)

“Yeah, we’ve had a tough four races I would say,” Byron said. “But we’ve had speed at I think three of the four. Indy comes to mind, Michigan and Pocono. Then the other ones we didn’t quite have the speed or we had issues during the race.

“It’s just part of the ebbs and flows of the season, I think, that you want to be on kill for 38, but it’s really hard to just be good every single week. I think it naturally was kind of a little bit of a reset for us and try to get ready for the Playoffs.”

Hamlin, who remains in contention for the regular season championship going into next Saturday’s race at Daytona, was content with his runner-up result.

“Yeah, I’m happy with my day,” Hamlin said. “It takes me a while to get going, and with McDowell there at the beginning, like he’s just ready and he’s on kill, and I’m kind of working my way into it. I just lost the lead because I looked at the 24’s back bumper the rest of the day.”

Those sentiments seemed to be echoed by Bell, the race’s third place finisher. No doubt, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver wanted to outrun and best Byron for the best possible Playoffs position.

“I’m happy that we finished third,” Bell said. “The regular season points battle is super, super tight and the guy we’re trying to pass is sitting on the front stretch. He showed up and won the race.

“I’m really proud of this 20 group. They made some awesome changes overnight and overall, this DEWALT Camry was super fast all weekend long. It’s crazy to say that 90 laps and I feel like we lost because we didn’t qualify better yesterday. When people don’t make mistakes, it’s hard to pass them.”

Through it all, it was a relatively faultless Sunday afternoon for Byron and his No. 24 team. If anything, it was a reminder of what the historic car number is capable of doing on the serpentine tracks of NASCAR Cup Series competition.

There has to got to be a way, burning down the house. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)

“Yeah, it’s cool, I spent a lot of time watching summer races here with that flames car and how good he was here at the Glen,” Byron said. “Him and Tony Stewart basically all the time. It’s great to carry on that legacy with the car, and we’ll share a couple of memories over it.”

Stage 1 Top 10 Results

1. Michael McDowell
2. William Byron
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Ty Gibbs
5. AJ Allmendinger
6. Kyle Larson
7. Christopher Bell
8. Bubba Wallace
9. Kyle Busch
10. Tyler Reddick

Stage 2 Top 10 Results

1. William Byron
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Ty Gibbs
4. Kyle Larson
5. AJ Allmendinger
6. Christopher Bell
7. Chase Elliott
8. Kyle Busch
9. Bubba Wallace
10. Austin Dillon

Go Bowling at the Glen Race Results

Editor’s Notes

Nathan Solomon contributed to this article from Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York.