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Stage 1 of the 2022 Daytona 500 saw a huge wreck in the backstretch on Lap 61, damaging nearly six cars. Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron was one of the unfortunate ones to be taken out in the incident.
Before the crash, Byron was running in the top-five for a good portion. He, however, went hard on the right side as Harrison Burton came sliding down the outside line, taking Kyle Busch with him. Busch, Burton and Byron, including three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, all suffered heavy damage. Meanwhile, Alex Bowman and Ross Chastain’s cars also took heavy damage and were out of the race.
Explaining the incident on Lap 63, Byron said:
“It looked like the bottom lane was pushing well; nice, balanced and controlled. The outside lane was getting a little squirrely the last lap or so. I noticed that, but there’s nothing you can really do. You’re just trying to push your guy out front. It was [Martin] Truex Jr. in front of me and Kyle Busch. We were doing a good job of kind of managing that gap on the bottom. I think the No. 21 [Harrison Burton] just got loose, slid down the track and I slid to the inside wall. There was nothing we could really do. I think we were definitely going to finish in the top-five in that Stage.”
This was the fifth occasion in eleven Cup Series appearances at the venue, when Byron failed to complete the race at Daytona International Speedway.
William Byron was a strong contender to win this year’s Daytona 500
William Byron, who drives the #24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports, entered his fifth season of the Daytona 500.
Last season, he competed under no pressure and earned a playoff spot with a win at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The driver showed his resilience by placing third at Bristol Motor Speedway in the round of the 16 cut-off race. His exit from the season, however, came at Charlotte Oval.
Although disappointed with the Great American Race result, Byron is now looking forward to making a strong comeback at Auto Club 400, commencing on February 28. He appeared hopeful, saying:
“Our No. 24 Axalta Camaro seemed really fast. It’s disappointing, but we’ll go onto California [Auto Club Speedway] and we’ll be fast there.”
Also Checkout : 2022 Nascar Cup Series Results
