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On the second-to-last lap of overtime, William Byron seized the lead and won the NASCAR Cup Series race in Las Vegas on Sunday (March 5), wrapping off a strong day for Hendrick Motorsports.
The Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas International Speedway required an overtime restart, and William Byron's pit crew's quick work allowed the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver to beat teammate Kyle Larson down pit road. This was the deciding factor in Byron's sixth NASCAR Cup Series victory.
The top three drivers were all from Hendrick Motorsports, with William Byron finishing ahead of teammates Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman. Bowman won the March race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last year. Byron led 176 laps and earned his sixth Cup title in six seasons.
Larson seemed to be on his way to victory when Aric Almirola collided with the wall in turn four on lap 264, resulting in the second yellow of the day. Martin Truex Jr. stayed on track when NASCAR called the fourth and final yellow, while Byron, Larson, and the majority of the other contenders pitted for two tires.
Byron's crew was fractionally faster on the stop, and Byron earned a front-row starting position for the overtime to Truex's outside.
William Byron passed Truex on the opening overtime lap as the cars reached Turn 3 at the 1.5-mile circuit and drew away to win by 0.622 seconds over Larson and 0.766 seconds over teammate Alex Bowman. It was Hendrick Motorsports' third 1-2-3 result in a Cup Series race. William Byron said during the post-race interview:
"Yeah, just happy with getting the first win of the year. It’s been a while since we’ve won. It’s been almost a year, and it’s nice to kind of just get back to what I feel like we’re capable of. Yeah, it’s been up and down, but I feel like this is what we’re capable of every week."
Byron, who began in the front row alongside Joey Logano, won both stages for the first time in his career in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet. Truex and Kevin Harvick both won both stages in Las Vegas and went on to win championships in 2018.
After winning the Pennzoil 400, William Byron reflected about Chase Elliott
William Byron claimed the checkered flag in Las Vegas, which means Hendrick Motorsports is overjoyed. It doesn't hurt that Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman finished 1-2-3 in the NASCAR Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motorspeedway.
Byron mentioned his injured teammate Chase Elliott during his post-race statements on the track. If Elliott had been present, Hendrick may have finished 1-2-3-4. Byron said (via FOX NASCAR):
"It’s all about the team, so. It’s a great pit crew. Thinking of Chase back home. Wish he was out here with us. You know, he’s a great race car driver, great teammate. So, wish he was out here.”
This was a wonderful tribute to Chase Elliott, who is out with a fractured leg. He was injured while snowboarding ahead of the event on Sunday.
