Eyes on Byron: 117-lap lead goes awry for Byron at Richmond Raceway, finishes 24th
A late spin seemingly spelled triumph again for William Byron at the Richmond Raceway April 2.
Instead, he ended up sitting backwards by the outside wall in turn one. A 24th-place finish capped a very eventful week for the Hendrick driver.
Before the weekend (on Wednesday), NASCAR’s appeals panel reversed part of a major penalty against Team Hendrick.
At Phoenix, NASCAR took hood louvers from the Hendrick Chevrolets and handed out a penalty of 100 points, 10 playoff points, a $100,000 fine and a four-week crew chief suspension for each of the four Hendrick cars. Hendrick appealed, citing a lack of communication for the misstep. The appeals panel restored the points for the four Chevrolets but upheld the fines and suspensions.
This partial reversal immediately impacted the race at Richmond. After practice and qualifying rained out, Byron slotted in third instead of eighth.
The Raptor Chevrolet fired off fast, and Byron took the lead from teammate Alex Bowman early. After few lead swaps, Byron managed to win stage one, adding yet another playoff point to his total.
Byron’s speed continued in stage two, which included a compelling fight for position with the top five. A long green flag run drew the Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolets into the picture with Byron and his Hendrick teammate Kyle Larson. With worn-out tires, Byron slid his way to a third-place finish in the stage.
The closing act of Richmond’s race featured a combination of cautions and strategy. Byron settled in behind Martin Truex Jr. for the long haul. As the race played out, Byron short-pitted from second to leapfrog Truex, and the No. 24 car held the 19 at bay until a Tyler Reddick caution brought the field together.
The 24-pit crew, which consistently busts out some of the fastest stops in the pit lane, encountered an issue during the pit stop, and Byron left pit road fourth after pitting from the lead. Calamity ensued.
On the restart, Ross Chastain made a three-wide move to draw alongside Christopher Bell in the middle and Byron on the outside. Taken by surprise, Bell carried too much speed into turn one, contacting the left rear quarter panel of Byron’s car. The 24 spun sideways, smoking the tires as his car hit the outside wall.
“Just looked like the 20 got in there and overcooked the corner,” Byron said. “He was put three-wide underneath him, and (he) just blew the corner, and I was the victim.”
While Byron blamed Bell, Bell chastised Chastain.
“The wrecking ball came in and made us three-wide at the last second, and there wasn’t enough room to be three-wide,” Bell said. “The wrecking ball — he didn’t do anything wrong, but that’s just his MO. I feel bad for the 24 … that’s just the way it always is.”
“He can say what he wants. Like other guys, he walks right by me and doesn’t say anything to me. I didn’t touch the 20. If he’s going to call me a wrecking ball,” Chastain said. Displeased, Chastain sighed, threw his head back and stared at the sky while collecting his thoughts. “I don’t understand.
“We’re doing a really good job,” Byron said. “We just got to keep it up. It’s a long season.
The Cup Series will take the track next weekend on the dirt surface at Bristol Motor Speedway. The race will be preceded by a performance from Cory Asbury and Phil Wickham as well as an Easter message from Tim Tebow.
Barnes is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on Twitter