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William Byron clinched the final spot in the Championship 4 field after a difficult race in Martinsville. The Hendrick Motorsports driver, who had a stellar regular season, faced imminent elimination heading into the Cup race.
Byron entered the weekend with a 30-point cushion above the cutline. However, a disappointing qualifying session put his prospects in jeopardy.
The NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 race happened to be in scorching conditions, something which didn't help the drivers. Byron, piloting his No. 24 Chevrolet that struggled in traffic, found himself outside the top 15 for much of the race.
Despite the challenging conditions, he managed a 13th-place finish. The result was enough for him to secure the last vacant spot in the Championship 4 field.
In a post-race interview with RACER, William Byron started off by congratulating the race winner Ryan Blaney. He said:
“I’m happy for Ryan [Blaney], he deserved (the win). They were really fast today.”
Reflecting on the grueling battle, the 25-year-old said:
"I’ve never been so mad in a race car, I’ve never wanted to get out so much, I’ve never been so frustrated at the car and how loose I was, how tight I was in spots. I just had no grip. We just really deserve it. We deserve to go to Phoenix. It’s nice to see it pay off.”
William Byron reveals the difficult racing conditions he was put through in Martinsville
The 25-year-old driver for Hendrick Motorsports also shed light on the troubles he went through while racing in the scorching Martinsville heat.
“With 50, 60 to go, it was so blurry inside the car and I just wanted to pull in but you’re not going to do that. I was going to have a failure or do something first.”
He added:
"I didn’t have the feeling in the car that I wanted. I knew it was going to be a battle. But when you get in those battles... and when you’re running 21st, it’s not fun back there. It was really tough.”
With a nod to his team and the crew chief Rudy Fugle, William Byron stated:
“I’m just super thankful for my team. They gave me the opportunity... This is my dream. I love to race cars, I didn’t grow up doing it, but I love what I do and they believe in me.”
All eyes now turn to Phoenix, where William Byron, alongside Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Ryan Blaney, will fight for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
