AVONDALE, Ariz. – William Byron had one of the most dominant trucks he’s had all season Friday night at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway, but at the finish of the Lucas Oil 150, it didn’t matter.
With a staggering lead over Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate Daniel Suarez late in the penultimate race of the season, Byron’s No. 9 Liberty University Toyota Tundra began to slow with the driver reporting to his team he was losing power.
Two laps later, Byron’s truck went up in smoke on the frontstretch igniting the event’s ninth caution and abruptly ending his championship dream.
Byron who is NASCAR XFINITY Series bound next season with JR Motorsports said there was little warning before the mechanical failure.
“We had been running hot the last run — kind of all night,” Byron said. “It stayed within 10, but it started to vibrate, maybe the lap before…but it didn’t seem like a big deal, then it sputtered and flames came out from underneath the truck.”
Heading into the elimination race in the Round of 6, Byron sat second in the standings, but with a slim margin between he and fifth place, any mistake or misfortune meant you were likely on the outside.
No one thought it would be Byron.
As a rookie, Byron won six NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, a new record. The Charlotte, N.C. was clearly on track to his seventh – before the engine seized after the 18-year-old led 112 laps.
Still, Byron handed the defeat with class. Like a champion.
“I just hate it for this team,” said Bryon, who finished fifth in the Round of 6, minus 15 points from the cutoff. “They worked so hard. It just happens, I guess.
“We’ll just go to Homestead and get the win.”
Byron’s misfortune though helped send his other KBM teammate Christopher Bell into the championship 4 against veterans Matt Crafton, Timothy Peters and Johnny Sauter.
After struggling with the handling of his No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota, Bell finished seventh and moved into the final Chase slot – giving KBM an opportunity for back-to-back NCWTS championships after Erik Jones took the crown in 2015.
Bell, however, was reluctant to glisten in his opportunity at a championship title at the expense of his teammate.
“It sucks man, we didn’t want to get in that way, but we wanted to get in, that’s the bottom line,” said Bell. “I’m just really disappointed in myself tonight. My teammates were both really fast and I was kind of struggling to stay up with them and then got swallowed up on the restart. Just disappointed in myself overall because I feel like that’s just not how we wanted to get in the Chase.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
