NASCAR
William Byron Picks Up Second Win of 2022 in Martinsville Weekend Sweep
MARTINSVILLE, Va. – After dominating the second half of Thursday’s Truck race, William Byron pulled off a Martinsville weekend sweep. The different winners streak to start 2022 is over, as the 24 now has a pair of victories. Just eight weeks into 2022, William Byron is now a multi-race winner for the first time. All around, Saturday night at Martinsville belonged to Hendrick Motorsports. One of their cars led all but six of 400 laps.
Both Stages were shockingly clean, as Chase Elliott led every lap from the pole and without any cautions. These mark Elliott’s first Stage wins of the season, helping him regain the points lead. However, the lead would change after Stage 2, as the 24 just edged the 9 off pit road. Once the final Stage went green, Byron took off over the 9 of Elliott.
Elliott would elect to pit under caution inside of 100 laps left. However, this move buried him in the pack as passing was very tough in the cold conditions and with the Next Gen car. Up front, the closing laps were all paced by the 24.
Despite a late caution sending the race into overtime, William Byron still held off every charge from Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, and the field. After leading a race-high 212 laps, William Byron takes home a second grandfather clock in just three days.
“It feels awesome,” Byron said post-race. “I knew when that last caution came out we were probably — I thought everyone behind us would pit, and luckily we stayed out. We were aggressive; we felt like we could refire on the tires and be okay, and you’ve got one of the most aggressive guys behind you in Logano. I knew — I chattered the tires in 3 and 4 and kind of left the bottom open but was able to block my exits and get a good drive off.”
“This one is for my mom,” Byron said dedicating the win. “This same weekend last year she had kind of a mini-stroke and was diagnosed with brain cancer. It means a lot to have her here, and it’s been a crazy year, but she’s doing great, and thanks, everybody, for the support. I kind of felt like she was riding in there with me. It’s cool to have her here, and I’m definitely going to enjoy this one.”
“I love my parents. They’ve been so supportive but also kind of let me grow up as I get older. Yeah, I’ve got a great support system. Thanks to all the fans for coming out. Great crowd. Always wanted to win at Martinsville. Got two clocks this weekend, so I’ll enjoy that.”
Behind Byron, the top 10 from Martinsville were Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola, Chase Briscoe, and Chase Elliott. Hear from some of the top finishers below, including their thoughts on passing being so tough this time at Martinsville.
“He brake-checked the heck out of me, like he should have, and it was the right move.” Hear @joeylogano’s thoughts on finishing 2nd @MartinsvilleSwy. #BlueEmu400 #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/Rg7Ey4MRNa
— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) April 10, 2022
“I had no problems passing tonight” says @austindillon3 as he stormed from starting 23rd to finishing 3rd.#BlueEmu400 #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/okeVJn0Woo
— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) April 10, 2022
“You could spin tires, but we’re just stuck in dirty air all day,” explains @Blaney about racing in the cold temperatures and the package for Next Gen with shifting @MartinsvilleSwy, where he finished 4th.#BlueEmu400 #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/qzQx2PZG2a
— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) April 10, 2022
“We’re remembering the old car and passing as easier than it was,” says 5th place finisher @RossChastain.
He also explains how his foot is sore after feathering the throttle off-corner all night. #BlueEmu400 #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/vurM02AHSH
— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) April 10, 2022
The Cup Series will celebrate Easter Sunday by having another night race, this time the second-ever Food City Dirt Race from Bristol. Coverage begins on April 17 at 7:00 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. The dirt at Bristol proved to be chaos last year, what will be different in year two and who can come out on top?
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Hendrick Motorsports via Twitter
