NASCAR
Byron Tames Texas Heat, Gives HMS 300th Triumph
FORT WORTH, Texas – One of the hottest races in NASCAR history saw increased temperatures and drama. After Kyle Larson wrecked late going for a dominant win, it was William Byron who took his place following a late restart. The No. 24 takes win number six of the season, locking themselves into the Round of 8. Adding onto that prestige is this win’s importance for Hendrick Motorsports, their 300th checkered flag. Byron is now the only driver sleeping easy heading into the next two unpredictable weeks.
From the pole, Bubba Wallace had his No. 23 Toyota in the wind for much of Stage 1. A late caution triggered by Kyle Busch hitting the wall after losing a wheel split up strategy for a one-lap dash to the Stage end. While Wallace opted to pit from the lead, others did not. This gave the opening Stage win to 23XI Racing teammate Tyler Reddick.
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That trip down pit road proved costly for a few other Toyotas though. Ty Gibbs made contact with Denny Hamlin while exiting, ending the No. 54’s day and leaving the No. 11 with a big gash in the right door. Martin Truex Jr. was also spun after the Stage end entering turn one.
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Wallace found the lead again in Stage 2, but could not keep Kyle Larson at bay from another Playoff point. Even with a career-best 111 laps led, Wallace failed to close out either Stage and only yielded three points.
Once Larson found the lead, the 5 was unchallenged in the second half. Larson’s day was only derailed on a restart with 20 laps left, when he spun racing Bubba Wallace for the lead. After leading 100 laps, the 5 would end the day in 31st-place.
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With Larson now out of the running, Wallace appeared to be the head and shoulders winning favorite. The No. 23 rocketed off on the next restart, only to be immediately halted by a crash behind him involving Ryan Blaney.
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The next restart, coming with only six laps remaining, did not go in Wallace’s favor. The 23 was unable to clear Chase Briscoe through turns one and two. This allowed third-place William Byron a huge run into turn three, briefly going three-wide for the top spot. By the start/finish line, the 24 had the lead and held serve for the final five laps.
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The winningest car of 2023 adds a milestone victory for Hendrick Motorsports, and a Round of 8 berth after a Texas triumph. 300 only extends the Hall of Fame team owner’s all-time victories record.
“Man, that’s badass,” Byron said. “I finally got a good restart at the end. Just ooh, it was hot today. I think it’s finally hitting me. But number 300 for Hendrick Motorsports. Kyle (Larson) really deserved this one, got to say. Those guys were really fast all day, and hate it for them at the end.”
“It was awesome to get our car to the front. I loved clean air. We just fought through traffic all day and our Liberty University Chevy was just tight back in traffic but had good pace. This was one of those hot days, it felt like I was playing football and went through two a days, just wanted to quit. It was a grind it out day and our team was there at the end. I’m really proud of this one as hot as it was and as tough as it was. We’ll take it and go on to the next round.”
“I don’t know if I can even put this into words. I was such a Hendrick Motorsports fan growing up as a kid, watching Jimmie Johnson, and became really fond of Jeff Gordon as I got to know him.”
“Just thankful for all the men and women back at Hendrick Motorsports and Mr. Hendrick for his investment in me and telling me at 17 years old that he was going to take me to Cup racing. Just appreciate everything he’s done for me, and this is awesome. We’re definitely going to enjoy this one.”
Behind Byron, Ross Chastain just edged out Bubba Wallace for second. The rest of the top-10 were: Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Daniel Suarez, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Chase Briscoe. The updated Playoff standings are below, with Byron as the only driver safe over the next two wildcard weeks.
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The ultimate stressor race of the 2023 Playoffs is next week from Talladega Superspeedway. Any one of the 11 remaining contenders taking the Alabama checkered flag on Sunday will be on the championship doorstep. The YellaWood 500 will go green at 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. After such a topsy-turvy Texas race, will Talladega lead to even more upset moments?
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Chris Graythen/Getty Images
