“Didn't have enough to go fight with the Penske guys”: William Byron extremely clear about HMS’s inferior Phoenix performance 

NASCAR driver William Byron recently reflected on his performance in the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. Byron secured his spot in the final four at Martinsville, on account of JGR driver Christopher Bell's penalty.

Byron started the championship race from P8. However, he became the race leader in stage three when all other playoff drivers and race leader Christopher Bell drove onto the pit road. William Byron's crew chief decided that the #24 Chevrolet stayed out, as he had enough life in his tires to keep running comfortably until the end of the race.

However, William Byron only managed a P3 finish, behind both Penske drivers in the playoffs. Reflecting on how things panned out in Phoenix, the Hendrick Motorsports driver said (via PRN Live on X, formerly Twitter):

"We just need a little bit more. I feel like we gave it all we had. We just didn't have enough to go fight with the Penske guys. Rudy made a great call. That was cool to give us a shot."

Former Xfinity and Truck Series champion Byron secured his spot in the Championship four at Martinsville after Joe Gibbs Racing's #20 driver Christopher Bell was penalized for attempting a Ross Chastain-esque 'hail melon' move. NASCAR deemed the move to be unsafe, although Bell feels differently and has publicly claimed that he deserved the last spot in the championship 4.

Meanwhile, Byron, who was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver in the final four, had a good season overall. In 36 race starts, the #24 driver secured 3 wins, 21 top-ten finishes, and 13 top-five finishes.

Team Penske's Joey Logano secured his third Cup Series title after driving down victory lane at Phoenix Raceway. His teammate and 2023's champion, Ryan Blaney, who fought Logano hard to defend his title, secured a P2 finish. Byron completed the podium, and 23Xi's Tyler Reddick finished P6.

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"Thought I had enough of a buffer": William Byron comments on pit road call at Phoenix amid P3 finish

William Byron took the lead in the race with nearly 50 laps to go, following a restart. As the field went onto pit road for fresher tires, Byron's crew chief Ryan "Rudy" Fugle reportedly decided to keep the #24 out on the track, in an attempt for Byron to take the lead in the race.

However, despite Fugle's beliefs, Team Penske's Joey Logano overtook him on the very next lap. Following the end of the race, Byron said (via Speedway Digest):

"I did, but just as good as they got through one and two, it was just like, man, now they're right on me. I think going into the restart, had enough of a buffer and 1 didn't really feel like one lap on tires that was that big a deal. I don't really -I don't think it was."

Meanwhile, Rudy has yet to comment on his decision at the Pheonix Raceway