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Kyle Larson almost won the Pennzoil 400 in regulation, but a late caution placed teammate William Byron in a position to win in overtime. The NASCAR Cup Series race in Las Vegas on Sunday (March 5) was expected to be won by a Hendrick Motorsports driver one way or another.
On the second-to-last lap of overtime, Byron took the lead to finish off a strong day for Hendrick. The top three drivers, Byron, Larson, and Alex Bowman, all drove Chevrolets and crossed the finish line in that order. Bowman won the March race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last year. Byron led 176 laps and clinched his sixth Cup title in six seasons.
During the weekend, traffic message boards on major thoroughfares leading into Las Vegas Motor Speedway had a clear message for William Byron. Nevertheless, as the green flag dropped on Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports drivers delivered a similar order to the Pennzoil 400 starting lineup.
William Byron led a race-high 176 of 271 laps and passed Martin Truex Jr. on the white flag lap, driving into Turn 3 to lead a 1-2-3 display of Hendrick drivers across the finish line.
Kyle Larson seemed to be on his way to victory when Aric Almirola collided with the wall at turn four on lap 264, resulting in the second yellow of the day. The majority of the leaders pitted a lap later, with just Martin Truex Jr. in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota still out. Byron, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet, led Larson out of pit lane and quickly passed Truex following the restart.
Byron, who began with Joey Logano in the front row, won both stages for the first time in his career. Truex and Kevin Harvick won both stages at Las Vegas in 2017 and 2018.
The gusting winds that were predicted to cause havoc in the field arrived on time. Nevertheless, they had little effect on the drivers or the anticipated 55,000 spectators — LVMS' largest NASCAR gathering in many years — who gathered beneath blankets and peered out from hoodies during the race's numerous long green-flag segments.
However, it did not change the handling significantly for any of the non-Hendrick cars or drivers to pose a significant challenge.
Chase Elliott, the Hendrick Motorsports driver and fan favorite, injured his leg while skiing in Colorado on Friday (March 3) and will be sidelined indefinitely. William Byron said post-race:
"I speak for everyone in the fact that we miss Chase out here, I texted Mr. H (team owner Rick Hendrick) after practice; I felt really good about the car and wanted to kind of reassure that we were going to try to win for him because it was a tough week."
No Chase Elliott, no problem for Hendrick Motorsports, William Byron got it covered in Vegas
William Byron won the most crucial race of the day by inches off pit road on Sunday afternoon. Chase Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series winner, will begin physical treatment on Monday (March 6), according to his team owner Rick Hendrick.
Elliott underwent surgery on Friday to mend a fractured tibia, and Hendrick said that Elliott has returned to his home in Dawsonville, Georgia. Elliott and his family own a house in Vail, Colorado. Josh Berry, who replaced Elliott, finished 29th, two laps down, in his maiden race in a Next Gen car.
William Byron, speaking about Elliott, said:
“Thinking of Chase back home. Wish he was out here with us. He's a great race car driver, great teammate. Wish he was out here.”
