MARTINSVILLE, Va.: William Byron battled for 500 miles at Martinsville Speedway then waited for what must have seemed like an eternity—although it was only 27 minutes after the checkered flag fell—to learn whether or not he had earned a transfer spot into the Championship 4 Round.
Byron led 51 laps in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He accumulated points in both stages and capped off the evening with a sixth-place finish, only to find he was tied with Christopher Bell for the last position in next Sunday’s title race.
Bell crossed the line 18th. However, after a review of Bell’s actions on the final lap, NASCAR penalized the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver for a safety violation for riding the wall out of Turn 4 and onto the frontstretch. He was demoted to 22nd, the last car one lap down, and suddenly was four points behind Byron.
“I’ve never been a part of anything like this, so I don’t really know how to feel,” Byron said. “I hate it for everyone involved, but I’m happy for this No. 24 Chevy team. I’m happy for us moving on, and we’ll go on and focus on Phoenix.”
The 26-year-old Charlottean entered the weekend seven points above the elimination line but 22 points behind Bell. His weekend started with an admirable third-place qualifying effort. Eighty-five laps into the Xfinity 500, Byron found himself in the lead. Two laps later, teammate Chase Elliott passed him, and Byron settled for second in the first stage—but not before delivering a love tap to the No. 9 Chevy to show his displeasure.
“We were definitely trying as hard as we can,” Byron said. “I felt like we all raced pretty clean. It’s hard racing out there.”
The No. 24 pit crew executed a 9.6-second stop after the stage, and Byron was able to pass Elliott for the lead when the race returned to green. He remained out front for 45 laps until Martin Truex Jr., triggered the fifth caution on Lap 183. Crew chief Rudy Fogle elected to pit and Byron lined up 12th—the first car with fresh tires.
By the time Carson Hocevar was punted five laps later, Byron was running ninth where he continued his charge when the race returned to green on Lap 202. He finished fifth in Stage 2 and had climbed to second when Ryan Blaney plowed into Shane van Gisbergen and collected Byron in the process on Lap 344.
“We had damage ever since the 12 shipped the 16 car out of the way, screwed up our toe,” Byron said. “It didn’t handle the same after that. It sucks, but we’ll get another chance next week to go at him.”
With 100 laps remaining in the contest, Fugle decided along with Kyle Larson’s crew chief, Cliff Daniels, to leave the Nos. 5 and 24 on the track during the eighth caution when the majority of the field pitted. The move trapped Bell one lap down and he never recovered.
With fresher tires, Blaney was able to make a charge once again. He passed Byron for third on Lap 458 after Fugle told his driver he could afford to sacrifice the spot. While it was clear Byron did not have a winning car in the closing laps, he still had to maintain track position.
“I tried to make my car super wide,” Byron said. “I tried to run the curb in the corners and then wash up on the exits so those guys couldn’t get to my outside.
“Even spinning my tires like I was, it seemed like it was working, so I was proud of that.”
Byron also had an assist from fellow Chevy drivers Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon who blocked oncoming traffic over the final 10 laps so the No. 24 could maintain his advantage and advance to the Championship 4 for a second straight year.
“I’m excited, I’m excited,” Byron said once the verdict was clear. “I feel like our team is really capable, and I have a great team behind me.”
When Bell finished his media availability, he graciously congratulated Byron on his accomplishment.
“Christopher is awesome,” Byron said. “We grew up as teammates in the truck series. We race super hard but have genuine respect for each other.
“I hate that it came down to the two of us because I really have a lot of respect for him and his team. Just the nature of it.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
