Hendrick Motorsports replacing Kyle Larson in the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race is “not out of the question” due to Indianapolis 500 qualifying.
[autotag]Kyle Larson[/autotag] will attempt “The Double” with the Coca-Cola 600 and Indianapolis 500 on May 26. However, Larson’s time in Indianapolis won’t start that week. The [autotag]Hendrick Motorsports[/autotag] driver will be in Indianapolis for qualifying on the weekend of the NASCAR All-Star Race. Larson is expected to compete in the event, but a change hasn’t been ruled out.
According to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, a game-day decision is “not out of the question” with Larson’s availability for the All-Star Race. In this scenario, a replacement driver would likely have to go through the Open to make the main event. Larson’s qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 is a priority, depending on what happens with his schedule.
One driver that would make sense is Justin Allgaier, as the NASCAR Xfinity Series is off that weekend. Allgaier previously served as Hendrick Motorsports’ reserve driver when he had to replace Jimmie Johnson at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2020. Hopefully, Larson can make it to North Wilkesboro Speedway, but a replacement driver is an option if needed.
Hendrick Motorsports announced that Kyle Busch will make an appearance at “Hendrick Homecoming” on May 25, 2024.
[autotag]Kyle Busch[/autotag] used to race for [autotag]Hendrick Motorsports[/autotag], but the former big-time prospect left the organization for Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota after three seasons. Busch broke out in his first year with Toyota and has become NASCAR’s most winningest driver. Now, the two-time Cup Series champion has appeared to mend his relationship with Hendrick Motorsports.
On Tuesday afternoon, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Busch will appear at the “Hendrick Homecoming” on May 25. Busch and the organization didn’t have the best relationship over the years, so seeing him joining the festivities is notable. Hendrick Homecoming will occur the day before the Coca-Cola 600 and Indianapolis 500.
During the event, fans who win a raffle will have a spot during Busch’s autograph session. The Richard Childress Racing driver’s session will start at 10:00 a.m. ET. It doesn’t mean anything for Busch’s future with Richard Childress Racing, but it’s great to see that his relationship with Hendrick Motorsports’ is slowly improving.
Hendrick Motorsports officially set a notable in-race record at Texas Motor Speedway in 2024. Find out the NASCAR team’s brand new record!
[autotag]Hendrick Motorsports[/autotag] has been on a high over the last two weeks. William Byron won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway during the organization’s 40th anniversary weekend, and Chase Elliott claimed his first victory since 2022 at Texas Motor Speedway. Now, the organization has set a modern NASCAR record at Texas.
The No. 9 team posted an 8.49-second, four-tire pit stop at Texas. That is the fastest four-tire pit stop in NASCAR history. Elliott’s crew did a fantastic job as the stars aligned for Hendrick Motorsports. The driver of the No. 9 car caught several timely yellows, had the fastest four-tire pit stop in NASCAR history, and held off the competition for his first win since October 2022.
Hendrick Motorsports has arguably been NASCAR’s top team in the Cup Series, with three of its four drivers posting victories in 2024. The only driver who hasn’t won is Alex Bowman, but he has shown speed some weeks. Now, Hendrick Motorsports will look forward to Talladega Superspeeway, looking to replicate a record-breaking weekend at Texas.
William Byron talks about his big victory for Hendrick Motorsports at Martinsville Speedway in 2024. Find out what Byron had to say!
[autotag]Hendrick Motorsports[/autotag] was set to celebrate its 40th anniversary at Martinsville Speedway last weekend, and it went better than anyone could have imagined. [autotag]William Byron[/autotag] won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville as his teammates, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, rounded out the top 3 spots on Sunday afternoon.
Following the event, Byron spoke about the end of the race and the achievement of winning on Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary. After growing up as a Hendrick Motorsports fan, this was a special victory for Byron.
“Yeah, I just want to thank [Chase Elliott] for racing me clean there,” Byron said. “Could get really physical at the end. He gave me a shot, which is expected. We all finish it off. Just so proud of everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. Grew up a big [Hendrick Motorsports] fan. To be here for the 40th anniversary, all that goes into just this organization, all the people, it’s all about the people. Just want to thank [Rick Hendrick] and [Linda Hendrick] and everyone involved.”
WILLIAM BYRON WINS IN A 1-2-3 FINISH AT MARTINSVILLE FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS! pic.twitter.com/C9PPzmAjKO
“It’s pretty awesome. Bad ass to win at Martinsville. We’ve been struggling at the short tracks. Just kept inching up on it. I got a great team. They just kept my head in it. It stunk to do a restart there at the end like that, but that’s the way it goes.”
Byron has clearly established himself as a force to be reckoned with during the 2024 NASCAR season as he earned his third victory. The driver of the No. 24 car is the only driver with more than two wins thus far. Byron made the Championship 4 last year, and he is proving to be a championship favorite in 2024.
Kyle Larson couldn’t believe what he saw in front of him during overtime on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. “I was surprised, honestly, how physical it looked up in front of me,” Larson said. “I was very shocked and selfishly was hoping they were …
Kyle Larson couldn’t believe what he saw in front of him during overtime on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
“I was surprised, honestly, how physical it looked up in front of me,” Larson said. “I was very shocked and selfishly was hoping they were going to wash up the track some more and let me get into the battle a little bit.
“But I think we all understood what this day meant for the company and we were going to race hard but fairly, and that’s what we saw.”
The drivers Larson was referring to were two of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates. Hendrick Motorsports was celebrating its 40th anniversary and, in storybook fashion, was in a position to have one of its drivers cap it off in victory lane.
William Byron and Chase Elliott made up the front row for the final restart in the Cook Out 400 with Larson behind them in third. Byron finally shook off Elliott’s challenge coming to the white flag and drove to victory. Larson also managed to put the driver of the No. 9 behind him.
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“I thought for sure I may have a shot,” Larson said. “I didn’t know how aggressive those two were going to be in front of me and they were really aggressive. I thought if it got crazy, I could have an opening to squeeze by, but I was (only) able to get one spot.
“So, I’m happy to finish second (and) happy to have a 1-2-3 for Hendrick.”
Considering how they dominated the race and the storylines, it was fitting that the day ended with a Hendrick Motorsports podium sweep. Byron led a race-high 88 laps on his way to winning, while Larson won the pole, led 86 laps, and won the first stage.
Larson led every lap in the first stage but lost control of the race when Joey Logano took two tires and beat everyone off pit road. On older tires, Logano led 84 laps and Larson, once in traffic, never got back to the lead the rest of the afternoon.
“I had a bad restart there,” Larson said. “I was really tight for a handful of laps and fell back to fourth. I wasn’t surprised that Joey hung on because we’ve seen it work in the past, and Joey is probably the best at doing that – fighting to stay up there on older tires. So, I was surprised, but I was hoping that we were going to have a better restart and then a better pit stop that next time.
“But just being around this corner (on pit road), I think it’s hard for the pit crew to see when I’m coming, and they were a little bit late coming (off the wall). So, we were just a little bit slow then and didn’t gain a position there that next time. So, yeah, I just kind of hung out there the rest of the race.
“It’s tough. It’s really tough to pass. But William did a good job. There was guys who could pass … but for the rest of us, it was really difficult.”
Elliott led 64 laps and Alex Bowman also ran in the top 10 and finished eighth.
“It was a solid day for us, for sure,” Elliott said. “It was nice to lead laps; certainly fell off a little more than I wanted to there at the end of those runs. I just struggled with traffic a little more than I should have. But I thought our car was close. The pit stops were really good. Most of the restarts went well.
“That last one, I had hurt the rear tires so bad on that run before I was really worried about getting going and having enough grip to make it work. But nonetheless, I’m happy for William, happy for everybody at Hendrick Motorsports.
“It’s really special to have all of our folks here or a lot of them and their families. I hate Rick and Linda couldn’t be here today, but certainly happy and proud to be a part of the organization and ultimately their family.”
Byron and Elliott were side-by-side through Turns 1 and 2 on the restart. Byron cleared Elliott off the corner, but Elliott admittedly tried to “root” Byron off the bottom in Turn 3 but couldn’t get the power down to complete the move. On the final lap, Elliott drove hard into Turn 1 and tried to diamond the corner but couldn’t make that stick either.
“I felt pretty good that one of us was going to win the race unless we crashed each other,” Elliott said. “Which I wasn’t going to crash him. I wasn’t worried about me crashing him, I don’t know about the rest of them. But I wasn’t worried about that.
“I gave him a shot, tried to win the race and it didn’t work out. But one of us won it and the ifs ands, buts, don’t really matter at this point. William was able to get it done, and we got a nice 1-2-3 for HMS.”
Sunday was the 29th victory for Hendrick Motorsports at Martinsville Speedway. The day started with Jeff Gordon and Geoff Bodine giving the command. Bodine, of course, won at Martinsville Speedway in April 1984, which kept Rick Hendrick from shuttering the team.
“It was a huge, huge day for Hendrick Motorsports and I’m just really, really happy for the Hendrick family, everybody who’s been involved in this company from the beginning,” Larson said. “There were 1,500 people here off Turn 2 from Hendrick Motorsports and their families today. So, I knew us four guys were going to have a shot at a good run but I didn’t know that we’d run 1-2-3, so that’s really special.
“I’m happy. I’m happy for William. He did a really good job executing that green flag cycle and carving his way through the guys in front of him to get the lead. So, he deserved to win, and he did a great job.”
William Byron has a penchant for milestones, and in Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, he got another. Last year Byron picked up the 300th NASCAR Cup Series victory for Hendrick Motorsports at Texas Motor Speedway. On Sunday, in a race …
William Byron has a penchant for milestones, and in Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, he got another.
Last year Byron picked up the 300th NASCAR Cup Series victory for Hendrick Motorsports at Texas Motor Speedway.
On Sunday, in a race that went to overtime, Byron led an unprecedented 1-2-3 finish for owner Rick Hendrick at the 0.526-mile short track, as the organization celebrated its 40th anniversary in NASCAR’s premier division.
In front of a throng of employees and supporters gathered in tents overlooking Turn 2, Hendrick became the only organization to sweep the podium positions in a Cup race at Martinsville. Byron’s victory was the 29th for Hendrick Motorsports at the track, most for an organization at a single NASCAR venue.
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“Just so proud of everyone at Hendrick Motorsports,” Byron said. “Grew up a big Hendrick fan. To be here for the 40th anniversary, all that goes into just this organization, all the people, it’s all about the people. Just want to thank Mr. Hendrick and (wife) Linda and everyone involved.
“It’s pretty awesome…to win at Martinsville. We’ve been struggling at the short tracks. Just kept inching up on it. I’ve got a great team. They just kept my head in it. It stunk to do a restart there at the end like that, but that’s the way it goes.”
An early green-flag pit stop proved the difference for the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet, who earned his third victory of the season, his second at Martinsville and the 13th of his career.
With Denny Hamlin in the lead, crew chief Rudy Fugle called Byron to pit road on lap 297 as the first of the lead-lap drivers to get fuel and fresh tires. Hendrick teammates Kyle Larson, the pole winner, and Chase Elliott followed a lap later.
The early stops allowed the Hendrick drivers to leap-frog Hamlin, who pitted on lap 299 and could not advance past the fourth position before caution for John Hunter Nemechek’s accident in Turn 4 on lap 398 of 400 sent the event to overtime.
On lap 310, Byron passed Elliott for the ninth position, and as the drivers ahead of him made pit stops, he worked his way forward, passing Daniel Suarez for the lead on lap 327 before Suarez came to pit road.
Byron led the next 86 laps, and after Elliott was credited with leading lap 413 at the overtime restart, Byron surged ahead for the final two circuits and crossed the finish line 0.550s ahead of Larson.
“Congrats to William,” said Larson, who won the first 80-lap stage wire-to-wire. “He did a really good job. Kind of schooled us all there after that green flag stop. Did a really good job passing all of us. He was able to set a good pace, still get through traffic good.
“My car felt really good. I think we were all kind of the same speed, honestly. Just lost a little bit of track position there in the second stage. Was never able to overcome it.”
Byron held a lead of more than 2s before the fifth and final caution of the race. On the overtime restart, he survived a bump from Elliott, who slipped to third behind Larson at the finish.
Bubba Wallace ran fourth, followed by reigning series champion Ryan Blaney. Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, Ryan Preece and Chase Briscoe completed the top 10. Hamlin pitted for fresh tires before the overtime, restarted 10th and came home 11th.
“We were just trying to do anything we could to steal one with our Sport Clips Toyota,” Hamlin said. “The tires didn’t wear enough to matter. We saw that when Joey (Logano) stayed out on those 80-lap lefts and led most of the [second] stage.
“Tires didn’t wear, and we just struggled to pass all day. Once I came out of that cycle, third or fourth, that’s kind of just where I stayed.”
Larson, who led 86 laps, took over the series lead by 14 points over Martin Truex Jr., who finished 18th on Sunday, and by 17 over Hamlin.
The only negative aspect of the Hendrick party was the absence of the team owner, who underwent knee replacement surgery and couldn’t attend. But NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon was there to serve as grand marshal and represent the organization.
“These guys, these three guys, as well as Bowman, they drove their butts off,” Gordon said. “How about that William Byron, the No. 24 car? Every time we have a milestone day or opportunity or moment, he steps up.
“He got number 300. This is going to be a huge win for him and the whole organization.”
Kyle Larson barely nipped Bubba Wallace for the pole in NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Saturday evening at Martinsville Speedway. Larson, the final driver to make a qualifying lap, won the pole in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at 96.034mph …
Kyle Larson barely nipped Bubba Wallace for the pole in NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Saturday evening at Martinsville Speedway.
Larson, the final driver to make a qualifying lap, won the pole in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at 96.034mph (19.718s). It’s his second pole at Martinsville Speedway, where he won a year ago.
Hendrick Motorsports is chasing its 29th victory at Martinsville Speedway in its 40th anniversary race.
Wallace will start second. The fastest lap for the 23XI Racing driver was 96.029mph (19.719s).
Chase Elliott qualified third (95.869mph), Martin Truex Jr., fourth (95.864mph) and Chase Briscoe, fifth (95.830mph). It’s the best qualifying effort for Briscoe this season.
Joey Logano qualified sixth (95.811mph), Josh Berry, seventh (95.806mph), Denny Hamlin, eighth (95.738mph), Ryan Blaney, ninth (95.559mph) and Alex Bowman, 10th (95.487mph).
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Outside the top 10 sat Kyle Busch in 11th and Ross Chastain, 12th. Brad Keselowski qualified 13th, Austin Cindric, 14th, and Ty Gibbs, 15th.
The fourth Hendrick Motorsports driver, William Byron, qualified 18th. Byron’s fastest lap was 94.946mph.
Christopher Bell qualified 20th, Noah Gragson, 26th, Austin Dillon, 28th, and John Hunter Nemechek, 29th. Corey LaJoie, who was fastest in practice, qualified 32nd.
Josh Williams qualified 33rd in the No. 16 for Kaulig Racing. David Starr starts last, 37th.
Rick Hendrick had no plans to be at Martinsville Speedway for the Cup Series race at the track on April 29, 1984. The first-year NASCAR team owner had already decided that his organization wasn’t fit to make it in the sport. Hendrick didn’t have the …
Rick Hendrick had no plans to be at Martinsville Speedway for the Cup Series race at the track on April 29, 1984. The first-year NASCAR team owner had already decided that his organization wasn’t fit to make it in the sport. Hendrick didn’t have the funding to keep going no matter how he did the math and was making plans to shut the doors of what was then called All-Star Racing in the early weeks of April.
But when Hendrick told driver Geoff Bodine and crew chief Harry Hyde, the duo asked for more time. The race at Martinsville was approaching, and Bodine loved the Virginia short track, where he’d won in modified and late models. If given the chance, Bodine and Hyde were confident they could make something happen in the Cup Series car.
The team went to Martinsville. Bodine won the race and, ironically, Hendrick wasn’t there because he and his wife Linda were at a church event in North Carolina.
Martinsville 1984 was a timely breakthrough for Geoff Bodine and what would evolve into one of NASCAR’s greatest teams ever. Photo courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports
It can be said with sincerity that the rest was history for Hendrick. The operation not only kept going for the rest of the ’84 season, in which Bodine won twice more, but today is the winningest organization in NASCAR Cup Series history with 304 victories and 14 championships.
“There’s a lot of stories around this place; that one has been pretty prevalent,” longtime Hendrick crew chief Alan Gustafson said. “(Rick) has been pretty vocal about that. I think he’s always used that as good perspective. The message I always took away from that is if he would have quit and not gone to that last race, this doesn’t exist. So, when you use that on a weekly basis and say, yeah, you race a lot of races and it becomes monotonous, but you never know what race is going to be the paramount one or the most important of your season. Or, in this case, the history of the company.
“Yeah, I’ve heard that story a lot. Probably since I started.”
Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports will celebrate its 40th anniversary at Martinsville Speedway. All four drivers will run ruby red (the color of a 40th anniversary) paint schemes, Bodine and Jeff Gordon will serve as co-grand marshals, and Rick Hendrick will be the pace car driver. There will be plenty of that activation and acknowledgment of the milestone around the weekend (Bodine’s car will be on display) as it becomes a Hendrick Motorsports takeover.
How it all started is now well-known around the NASCAR industry. And for those within the walls of Hendrick Motorsports, no matter when they joined the company.
“I’ve heard the story a lot, for sure,” Alex Bowman said. “Ever since I’ve been here, it’s something that gets talked about quite often. It’s special to win there with HMS and just to kind of learn the history of this company and to build that relationship with Rick … and see the highs and lows of the company at that place. It’s definitely an important place in this company’s history.
“To have the 40th-anniversary race (there), I think it’s a really special place for it. It’s going to be really cool.”
Bowman joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2016 as the substitute driver for an injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. He turned it into a full-time ride in 2018 and in 2021, Bowman won at Martinsville for the first time driving a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
After Bodine got that first Martinsville victory there have been 27 more since then. It’s where Hendrick Motorsports has won the most of any racetrack (Dover is the second-closet at 22 victories).
Gordon won at Martinsville nine times during his Hall of Fame career, including his final Cup Series victory in the fall of 2015. He also had some classic battles with teammate Jimmie Johnson there. Johnson also won at Martinsville nine times in his Hall of Fame career.
Martinsville hosted many of the legendary duels between Hendrick teammates Johnson and Gordon, like this one in 2004. Robert LeSieur/Motorsport Images
The four current Hendrick Motorsports drivers have one win each at Martinsville Speedway. It’s only fitting that each one of those victories came as a Hendrick Motorsports driver (Chase Elliott 2020; Alex Bowman 2021; William Byron 2022; Kyle Larson 2023).
“I’ve certainly learned more about (Bodine’s win) as we’ve talked about the 40th (anniversary) and all those things,” Elliott said. “The coolest thing that I’ve learned about it is just how close Rick was to being done. From me reading between the lines, I think he was pretty close to pulling the plug.
“He was kind of over it and things weren’t going well — they weren’t running as well as they wanted to run, and he just didn’t think he wanted to keep spending money on it. I think that win was the thing that propelled and motivated them to keep going. So, I’m glad they won for all of our sake.”
Today, Bodine’s winning car resides in the museum on the Hendrick Motorsports campus. Byron, who moved into the Cup Series driving a Hendrick Motorsports car in 2018, has seen it there, and the importance of the car comes up whenever milestones are talked about within the company. He said it gets talked about more and more over the years.
The history of Hendrick Motorsports will forever be tied to Martinsville Speedway and the spring 1984 race. All of the success that’s followed — in NASCAR and at Martinsville — started from a race that a driver and crew chief had to advocate to compete in.
However, the story of Hendrick Motorsports cannot be told without including the darkest day in its history. One that is also tied to Martinsville Speedway.
Rick Hendrick lost family, friends and employees on Oct. 24, 2004, when the company’s Beechcraft Super King Air 200 crashed into Bull Mountain in Virginia on the way to the racetrack. There were no survivors.
On the plane were Hendrick’s son Ricky, nieces Kimberly and Jennifer, brother John, team general manager Jeff Turner, engine builder Randy Dorton, pilots Dick Tracy and Liz Morrison, Tony Stewart’s pilot Scott Latham and DuPont executive Joe Jackson. NASCAR informed the Hendrick Motorsports teams of the crash when the race concluded, which was won by Jimmie Johnson. There was no post-race celebration.
“I think I was aware of it all both on the good side and the tragic side of what Martinsville has meant to Hendrick Motorsports and their family,” Larson said. “But once I got here, you get to firsthand see how important that place is almost more than any other racetrack on the circuit. I think you understand that there’s not more pressure when you go there, but the meaning behind winning there just means more to this organization than I think it would to any other team and rightfully so.
“I’m excited to get there. Hendrick is taking over the facility, so it’s going to be a lot of fun. Hopefully one of us four (drivers) can have a really good race and win there on a special day.”
Sunday’s celebration event will be the 375th race for Hendrick Motorsports at Martinsville Speedway.
“There’s a lot of emotions that come with Martinsville for the boss and rightfully so,” Elliott said. “I couldn’t imagine. It’s been a place that has had a lot of highs and certainly the lowest of lows. I think now, you just try to honor the folks that we lost as best we can and try to carry forward things as they would want them to be.”
Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott delivered a Hendrick Motorsports front row in qualifying at Richmond Raceway. Larson, the defending race winner, earned the pole with a lap of 120.332mph (22.438s). It’s his second pole at Richmond Raceway. “It …
Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott delivered a Hendrick Motorsports front row in qualifying at Richmond Raceway.
Larson, the defending race winner, earned the pole with a lap of 120.332mph (22.438s). It’s his second pole at Richmond Raceway.
“It definitely helps for sure,” Larson said of going into Sunday’s race. “The number one pit stall here means a lot, so yeah, happy. Happy to do that. Happy to be in Group A, for sure. And then the sun coming out a little bit there helps also. Chase got real close there, so I was a bit nervous but awesome day for Hendrick Motorsports, the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet [and] everybody involved. It’s good to get another pole. We’ll see if it translates to tomorrow’s race.”
It was Larson’s 17th Cup Series pole.
Elliott qualified second at 120.321mph. The 2020 series champion has never won at Richmond Raceway in 15 previous starts and his best finish is second in 2018.
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Ross Chastain qualified third (120.059mph), Alex Bowman, fourth (119.861mph) and Bubba Wallace, fifth (119.819mph). Bowman scrapped the frontstretch wall during his lap.
Todd Gilliland qualified sixth (119.760mph), Martin Truex Jr., seventh (119.585mph), Ty Gibbs, eighth (119.517mph), Austin Cindric, ninth (119.111mph) and Joey Logano, 10th (119.069mph).
Denny Hamlin qualified 11th, Ryan Blaney, 12th, William Byron, 13th, Chris Buescher, 14th and Kyle Busch, 15th. Tyler Reddick qualified 19th.
Further back in the field, Brad Keselowski only managed 23rd. Christopher Bell qualified 29th and Josh Berry, 30th. In this race a year ago, Berry finished second substituting for Elliott.
NEXT: Toyota Owners 400 at 7 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX.
William Byron proved untouchable at Circuit of The Americas as he capped off a dominant weekend with a victory Sunday afternoon. The No. 24 Raptor Chevrolet of Hendrick Motorsports was the fastest in NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying, and …
William Byron proved untouchable at Circuit of The Americas as he capped off a dominant weekend with a victory Sunday afternoon.
The No. 24 Raptor Chevrolet of Hendrick Motorsports was the fastest in NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying, and Byron led the most laps in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (42 of 68). He crossed the finish line 0.69s ahead of Christopher Bell after leading the final 18 laps once cycling back to the race lead after green flag pit stops.
“I feel like I made a lot of mistakes in the last 10 laps — just little micro errors,” Byron said. “Christopher [Bell] was really fast there on the longer runs, but this sport is just so hard. It’s so difficult to week-in and week-out show up and have fast cars.
“We’ve had a little bit of a rough stretch the last few weeks, but put a lot of prep work in this week and just thankful for the team I have around me, all the people back home as well. … It’s just a lot of fun to win races, and it’s really difficult. We’re going to enjoy this one.”
It’s Byron’s second victory after claiming the season-opening Daytona 500. He’s also won two of the last three road course races in the series.
Byron made his final green flag pit stop with 24 laps to go, giving up the race lead in doing so. Ty Gibbs and Ross Chastain followed Byron down pit road, and a fast pit stop from his Hendrick Motorsports pit crew kept him ahead of the competition.
The pit cycle ended with 18 laps to go when Martin Truex Jr. gave the race lead back to Byron. Once back out front, he had a gap of 1.8s on teammate Alex Bowman, followed by Gibbs in third place.
Bell cycled out sixth. The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team called Bell to pit road for the final time with 20 laps to go, and he came from over 9s behind to hunt down Byron.
Bell won the first stage.
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“Obviously, once I got to him it was going to be tough to pass him,” Bell said of chasing Byron. “Just needed a couple of mistakes. William has been really, really good on the road courses, and he was flawless when it mattered today.”
Gibbs finished third, Bowman, fourth and Tyler Reddick, fifth. AJ Allmendinger finished sixth, Chastain, seventh and Chris Buescher, eighth.
Kyle Busch finished ninth. He recovered from being spun by Bell earlier in the day and confronted his former teammate about the contact after the race.
Truex finished 10th. He led two laps during the pit cycle.
Bubba Wallace finished 15th in a hard-fought day for his 23XI Racing team. Wallace was collected in a lap one incident when Corey LaJoie went wide off the corner and came back onto the racing surface, colliding with Truex and Wallace. Wallace had to pit from the contact and needed additional repairs when given the chance under the stage break.
Denny Hamlin, who won the second stage, finished 14th. Chase Elliott finished 16th. Elliott was called for cutting the course on lap 38 and then spun with 11 laps to go.
Shane van Gisbergen finished 21st and Kamui Kobayashi finished 30th. As in his debut last year in Indianapolis, Kobayashi was spun twice throughout the afternoon.
There were 11 lead changes among seven drivers. NASCAR threw the caution flag twice Sunday, both for stage breaks.
