When everyone else was wrecking and having issues, William Byron kept things moving forward and avenged himself from last year. Byron was emotional following the NASCAR race, noting his grandfather had just passed away on Thursday. What a day to pull off a surprise win.
William Byron was able to get his third win of the season. He is the first driver with three wins and still looks like the guy to beat. Just when we thought he was having a slump, he waited and pulled off a win that no one really saw coming.
Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain got into one another on the second-to-last restart and that gave Byron the window of opportunity he needed. He kept his car straight, drove that Jeff Gordon throwback scheme hard, and got win 100 for the 24 car all-time. He has now tamed Darlington.
A year after getting bumped by Joey Logano for the win, William Byron claims victory at Darlington. This is his seventh career win and a big one to get off of his checklist. Darlington is a track every driver dreams of winning at, and it is a reality now for Byron.
Byron, like most weeks, had a strong car all afternoon. His team avoided mistakes they had made over the last month or so and kept him near the front just where he needed to be, when he needed to be there.
William Byron outlasts Kevin Harvick for third win of the season
When the race restarted, William Byron was lined up side-by-side with none other than The Closer, Kevin Harvick. Luckily for Byron, the veteran raced him respectively. Likely knowing that his No. 4 Ford Mustang had too much damage to contend for a win, Harvick raced to a second-place finish to cap off his day after counting his blessings and surviving the multiple restarts.
Byron now has wins at Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Darlington this season. He also has five top-5s and six top-10s to his name this season. If it wasn’t for that 60-point penalty he suffered earlier this season, Byron would be second in points, only behind Ross Chastain (based on last week’s point standings).
Between Richmond and Martinsville, it felt like we might be seeing Byron hit a slump. He had a tough go of things last year at a similar time in the season. There was an 18-race stretch last year where Byron failed to make the top 10, outside of one P9 finish at Sonoma.
However, since Martinsville (P23), it has been uphill. Seriously, he’s only improved each week. Talladega was a P7 finish. Then he went to Dover and finished P4 just to finish P3 at Kansas last week. This week, he’s a winner at Darlington and hoping to keep the momentum going.
The summer portion of the season could still be a challenge for William Byron. Right now, it seems that he’s focused and his team is ready to put him in contention to win week in and week out.
Larson and Chastain had their chance to race for the win. They couldn’t handle it. So, William Byron puts the NASCAR 75th Anniversary car in victory lane.
