NASCAR
William Byron Wins in Truck Series Return at Martinsville
MARTINSVILLE, Va. – In his first Truck Series start of the year, William Byron returns to victory lane. The Cup Series star led a race-high 94 laps in the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, taking home the grandfather clock trophy. This Truck win at Martinsville only follows a few recent late model wins for Byron, as he tries to hone his short-track skills.
Both Stages would see a Truck Series contender take home the win, being split by Zane Smith and Ben Rhodes. After starting in a very deep 32nd position, it took Byron until lap 105 to take the lead. From that point onward, the 7 paced the field at the paperclip for all but two laps. In only his second Truck Series start since 2016, this marks career win number eight. However, this is his first victory of any kind at Martinsville.
“Yeah man, it was a lot of fun,” Byron said after the victory. “Great crowd here at Martinsville. I’ve never won here. Just awesome to get the win tonight. Great truck, thanks to Spire. They don’t have a lot of guys but they do it right.”
Byron was sure to thank Rick Hendrick for letting him run the race. “Pretty awesome, really excited.” This also marks the first win for the newly-formed Truck Series effort from Spire Motorsports.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver will be chasing a second grandfather clock Saturday night, as he pursues a weekend sweep at Martinsville.
Behind Byron, top finishers included Johnny Sauter, Kyle Busch, John Hunter Nemechek, and Ben Rhodes. Shockingly, Busch only led one lap Thursday night, making him 0-3 to start 2022 in the Trucks. The rest of the top 10 were Chandler Smith, Matt Crafton, Grant Enfinger, Zane Smith, and Tyler Ankrum.
The Truck Series will be back in action next week, as they head to the Bristol Dirt track. Coverage of the Pinty’s Dirt Truck Race will be Saturday, April 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Bristol Dirt proved to be a wildcard last year, will it be any less tame in year two?
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Meg Oliphant/Getty Images for NASCAR
