William Byron 'Devastated' After Scary Crash Ends Solid Vegas Run

Everything was going William Byron's way in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. That is, until it wasn't. And in that way, motorsports is such a cruel sport, sometimes.

"I'm just devastated," Byron said after exiting the race on Lap 236.

Race Results: South Point 400 at Las Vegas

Playoff Grid: NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings

With under 40 laps remaining in the opening race of the Playoffs Round of 8, the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet had a firm control of the lead of the race, and it looked like barring any unforeseen circumstances, he was going to walk out of Sin City with at least a top-two finish.

Then the unthinkable started to happen, and didn't stop happening for the North Carolina native.

While leading on Lap 232, Byron's car broke loose in Turns 1 and 2. Fortunately, he was able to wrangle his nearly uncontrollable car, but not before his 0.800-second lead over teammate Kyle Larson evaporated, and Larson was able to scoot around Byron for the top spot.

"We were right there with [Larson]. I got loose a few laps before and lost the lead, which I was bummed about. But I was going to try to get my balance back to a reasonable place, I was a little bit that run. Looser than I expected to be," Byron said.

Despite losing the lead, Byron was in a good position. That is, until he wasn't.

On Lap 236, as Byron attempted to reel in Larson for the race lead, the driver of the No. 24 Relay Chevrolet went to the low lane in Turns 3 and 4 in an effort to gain time on his teammate. Unbeknownst to him, Ty Dillon, a lapped car, was trying to work his way to pit road ahead of him.

By the time Byron realized what was happening through his windshield, as Dillon cut from the middle lane of the track to the bottom, it was simply too late. Byron would collide with the rear of Dillon's No. 10 Kaulig Racing machine in an absolutely terrifying incident.

Here is the terrifying onboard camera of William Byron, who had no idea that Ty Dillon ahead of him was coming to pit road. Massive impact. pic.twitter.com/aaOFieGHQS
— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) October 13, 2025

In an instant, a potential race-winning car was turned into a stickered-up scrap heap with steam spewing everywhere. Byron, who moments before had to feel he had set himself up for another excellent Round of 8 Playoff run, slipped into shock as the great run was morphed into a 36th-place DNF.

"I'm just devastated," Byron explained. "I, yeah, I mean, I had no indication. So, I obviously wouldn't have driven into the back of him like that."

Prior to the crash, Byron was sitting 22 points above the Playoffs cutline. As Byron exited the infield care center following the crash, and Denny Hamlin crossed the finish line first to secure his place in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 field, Byron had dropped to 15 points below the Playoffs cutline.

Byron, who won the opening Stage of Sunday's race, and led a total of 55 laps on the day, couldn't believe what had happened.

"I mean, just as good as we were, and just as good as the race was going, just for random shit like that to happen, it just sucks. So, I don't know. I can't believe it," a dejected Byron explained.

While he's down, Byron is not out -- yet. The regular-season champion had to endure a struggle-filled summer, and a late regular-season points battle with Chase Elliott to end up collecting the regular-season championship.

Perhaps the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet can find some more magic over the next two races at Talladega Superspeedway and Martinsville Speedway to keep his hopes of a championship alive.

No matter how many points Byron slips behind the Playoffs cutline, a win at either of the next two races will cure all, and would mean advancement to the Championship 4 for a third consecutive season for one of NASCAR's biggest rising stars.

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