While William Byron was trying to win the race, he had to get some fresh tires on pit road. He almost took out his own crew member. Byron was getting out of the pits quickly and his team member had to leap to avoid catastrophe. These NASCAR crews risk a lot out there.
When these drivers peel out of the pit stall, it’s all or nothing. Stalling will kill your run and end your chances of winning the race that late into it. So, as William Byron came out, his crew member maybe risked it too much.
Thankfully, these men and women are athletes in the pit. They can get out of harm’s way with just a quick leap. Byron would go on to win his second straight race this season.
For William Byron, this was a near mistake. He was lucky that he didn’t hit his crew member, didn’t stall, and didn’t try to overcorrect at all. He just trusted the training and let things happen. As he got off pit road, he was in a great position to compete for the win over Kyle Larson.
The only downside to Byron’s back-to-back wins is that they have been at the expense of his Hendrick teammate.
William Byron Wins at Phoenix
In eight months, the NASCAR Cup Series will return to Phoenix to settle the season once and for all. So, will we see William Byron top that race as well? He has put out a good resume so far this season. If he can get to the finish line, it’s going to be a good finish.
Hendrick Motorsports has flexed pretty hard so far this season. Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson were really strong at Daytona. Larson has been strong every week, in fact. Now, Byron is showing that he can drive the hell out of these cars, even over the likes of his own teammate and guys like Ryan Blaney.
A lot could have gone wrong on the final restart. Things easily could have gone differently. When it came down to it, William Byron was the best driver on the restart. He only got two tires on the final pit stop and was able to use that to get the win over a host of talented drivers.
Can William Byron go to Atlanta next week and win again? He took the checkered flag there last season. Now he looks even faster. So, why not?