NASCAR driver and Liberty online student William Byron takes a second place finish at Martinsville Speedway
NASCAR driver William Byron cruised to a second-place finish Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
The Liberty Online student and second-year Monster Energy Cup Series driver battled Martin Truex Jr. for the lead over the last 24 laps of the First Data 500. Truex won, securing his spot in the next round of playoff races.
Byron began his third Cup Series race at Martinsville in eleventh place. Steadily climbing through the field, Byron reached sixth spot by the end of the first stage and maintained a top 10 spot until the end of the race.
The 21-year-old driver from Charlotte, North Carolina wove through lapped traffic, passing his competitors with the skill and poise of a veteran.
“(Sunday) I had the most fun running at a track that I grew up going to as a kid,” Byron said in an email interview. “It’s one of the toughest places we go to, so to run up front was a big deal for us.”
Although Byron relished racing at the front of the pack on a track that had previously been difficult for him, he was not satisfied with a second-place finish.
“I think we just needed to find a way to take the lead and control the race,” Byron said. “Whether that came on a restart or pit road, if we could’ve done that, I think the win would’ve been possible. At this level guys don’t make mistakes and it takes everything to win.”
DREAMS BECOME REALITY — Byron grew up watching races at Martinsville and now got to compete on the same track.
Behind Truex and Byron, Brad Keselowski finished the First Data 500 third, Denny Hamlin finished fourth and Ryan Blaney finished fifth. Of the top five drivers, Truex, Hamlin and Blaney are still in the playoffs.
According to NASCAR.com, Byron raced his way into the playoffs for the first time this NASCAR season, his second season as a Monster Energy Cup Series driver. Byron was eliminated from the playoffs after the Oct. 20 race at Kansas Speedway where he finished fifth.
Although his finish at Martinsville was not quite the win Byron hoped for, he faces the last three races of his sophomore NASCAR season with confidence.
“I hope that we can continue this momentum,” Byron said. “We are putting ourselves in position each week so now we know what we need to do.”