William Byron: “It Stings” After Losing Darlington Race Despite Dominance
William Byron put on a masterclass at Darlington Raceway, controlling nearly the entire race in a display rarely seen in modern NASCAR. He led every lap of both Stage 1 and Stage 2, pacing the field for a remarkable 243 of the 297 total laps—a feat not seen since Jeff Burton led every lap of a race nearly 25 years ago.
However, Byron’s shot at a historic flag-to-flag victory slipped away during a round of green-flag pit stops.
Though no one passed him on the track, Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell gained an edge by pitting earlier, using the undercut to leap ahead. Once mired in traffic, Byron struggled to regain his rhythm and eventually lost positions to Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin, who benefited from fresher tires by staying out longer.
A late caution gave Byron another shot, allowing him to climb back to second, but it wasn’t enough to reclaim the lead. Despite the impressive performance, the result was bittersweet.
“Super proud of my team for bringing such a fast car and executing that well,” Byron said. “It really felt like the perfect race—we were set to lead every lap.
Once we lost control during the pit cycle, it was tough to recover. Yeah, it definitely stings. It’ll hurt tonight, but there are still a lot of positives to take away.”
Byron, already the winner of this year’s Daytona 500, maintains his lead in the championship standings, holding a 49-point advantage over his nearest rival.
