Byron Overcomes Final Stage Wave Around to Finish Sixth at Phoenix

Joseph Srigley | Mar 10, 2025

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The final rundown from Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series contest from Phoenix Raceway will show polesitter William Byron finishing a respectable sixth, after leading 83 laps – second only to race-winner Christopher Bell – in the Shriners Children’s 500.

What that result doesn’t show, though, is the incredible rebound that the Charlotte, North Carolina-native had to make throughout the final stage of the event, after a poorly timed caution flag trapped the Hendrick Motorsports driver off the lead-lap.

Without a doubt, Byron was among the fastest drivers on the racetrack in Sunday’s 312-lap contest, winning the race’s opening stage from the pole. Much of the afternoon as contested with Byron’s Z by HP-sponsored Chevrolet running inside the top five, even as several drivers in the mid-pack experimented with Goodyear’s softer ‘option’ tires to gain track position.

“Unfortunately, that caution just came out right when we were on pit road,” Byron said post-race. “Here at Phoenix [Raceway], you can’t get away with losing a lap. It was just an unfortunate situation there. It was an aggressive call, and I thought that it was going to set us up for a shot.”

The caution flag that impacted the afternoon for Byron and the No. 24 team came at Lap 268, when Bubba Wallace had a problem with the right-front tire on his 23XI Racing Toyota Camry that send him hard into the Turn 3 wall and littered debris on the racetrack.

It was a close call for Byron, who had just entered the pits when the caution was displayed. Instead of driving through pit road and re-joining the racetrack, crew chief Rudy Fugle elected to make the pit stop, trapping him a lap down for the upcoming restart. Although, being one lap down was short-lived, as the No. 24 took the wave around.

Using the red sidewall ‘option’ tires, Byron sliced and diced his way through the pack, quickly getting inside the top 10 after restarting at the tail-end of the longest line in 21st-place. As more cautions and subsequent restarts occurred in the late stages of the 312-lap event, Byron slowly inched closed to the race-lead.

There was even a brief moment, as the NASCAR Cup Series field thundered through the first set of corners during the two-lap dash to the finish, where Byron had gone three wide to the inside, and looked like he might have a chance to steal the victory should contact be made ahead of him.

The 27-year-old driver would have to settle for sixth place, after his teammate Kyle Larson got around him, as well as Josh Berry and Chris Buescher.

“It was just crazy there at the end. We restarted 21st and got up into the top 10 pretty quickly,” Byron added. “I feel like we probably used up a lot of tire on the reds to get the last few spots, so it was hard to get much more.”

Although it’s not the end-result that Byron was hoping for, given the speed in his racecar throughout the entire weekend, the two-time DAYTONA 500 winner was still pleased with the outcome, after a stellar rebound.

“I’m happy with it,” Byron said. “I feel like the No. 24 Z by HP Chevy team put together a good weekend. We learned a ton, and we got a solid finish, so that’s something to be proud of.”

Leaving Phoenix Raceway, William Byron holds the lead in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings over Christopher Bell – who has triumphed in each of the last three races. Next, comes another racetrack that the young Hendrick Motorsports star has won at, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, followed by another in Homestead-Miami Speedway, and another in Martinsville Speedway.

The last couple of seasons the No. 24 has had no problems firing off, being the first multi-time winner in each of the last three seasons.