William Byron narrowly missed clinching a vital victory at Kansas Speedway, with Ross Chastain snatching the win in the final laps. The win would have secured Byron an automatic advancement into the Round of 8, which only added to his disappointment with the loss.
Speaking to the media after the race, Byron commented, as reported by Motorsport.com:
“Damn it, I wanted that one really bad.
“It just sucks, man. You’re so close, and you know going to Talladega you know what that is. So just sucks, but proud of the effort.”
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Despite the setback, Byron remains in a strong position, leading the standings with a 34-point advantage.
From the start of the race at Kansas Speedway, Byron’s car was among the top contenders. However, strategic decisions during Stage 2 played a key role in the race’s outcome. Byron opted to stay out at the end of Stage 2, sacrificing track position to gain additional points, a move that took the remainder of the race to recover from.
The race’s climax came during the penultimate restart, where Byron, teammate Alex Bowman, and Chastain engaged in a thrilling three-wide battle for second place. A caution period saw Chastain on the front row next to race leader Martin Truex Jr., setting the stage for a dramatic finish. Byron moved into second as Chastain surged past Truex to seize the lead. Over the final 20 laps, Byron chipped away at Chastain’s lead but ultimately finished just 0.388 seconds behind.
Commenting on the closing stages of the race, Byron added:
“Yeah, just clean air.
“I feel like he [Chastain] got the restart he needed to, and I was in the second row just trying to clear those guys. Once I got clear of them, my balance was okay. Just a little bit tight, but just kind of inching up on him. I needed probably, you know, for it to be a longer run being in second.”
NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 At Kansas Speedway Results
- Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
- William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Penske Racing Ford
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Zane Smith, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
- Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
- Joey Logano, No. 22 Penske Racing Ford
- Corey LaJoie, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
- Ryan Preece, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
- Noah Gragson, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
- Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- Ty Dillon, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
- Harrison Burton, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
- Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
- Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG-Daughtery Racing Chevrolet
- Michael McDowell, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
- John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
- Kaz Grala, No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- Austin Cindric, No. 2 Penske Racing Ford
- Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club Toyota
- Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
- JJ Yeley, No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet
- Josh Berry, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
