“I just couldn't do it”: Chase Elliott reviews overtime battle with William Byron for Martinsville NASCAR win

Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott reflected on his overtime defeat to teammate William Byron as the latter comes home with a season-best finish at Martinsville.

The Cook Out 400 marked the eighth Cup Series weekend on the 2024 calendar and witnessed the North Carolina-based outfit's drivers reign supreme over the pack. On the occasion of HMS' 40th anniversary, William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott scored an unprecedented 1-2-3 finish at the 0.526-mile track.

Moreover, despite starting his run from as low as P18, the #24 Chevrolet driver rallied back into contention, securing his third win this season and his team's 29th victory on the track.

However, the odds of triumphing in the 415-lap race were slim when Elliott grabbed the lead on Lap 413 after an overtime restart. Nevertheless, the North Carolina native reclaimed his top spot, defeating Larson (P2) by 0.550 seconds and the Georgian boy (P3) by 0.790 seconds.

Post his second consecutive top-5 finish, the #9 Chevy driver detailed his overtime restart as he failed to maintain the lead over Byron saying (via Frontstretch on X):

"We got came off, four there in the zone, I had an okay jump. Just couldn't make it stick on the outside, got into three and tried to root him up off the bottom and went to get the power down to get up underneath him and I just couldn't do it."

Chase Elliott added:

"I tried to run in really hard into one and roll a little bit of a diamond and couldn't make that stick either." (1:01)

Chase Elliott's teammate William Byron reflects on his "bada**" 415-lap win at Martinsville

William Byron celebrates his victory at the Cook Out 400

After showcasing a remarkable comeback run at the Cook Out 400, Byron locked his second win at Martinsville, a third triumph this season and 13th overall Cup Series victory. Elliott led 64 laps while Larson dominated the Stage 1 and 86 laps in total. However, it was Byron who led a race-high 88 laps and eventually etched his name as the 2024 Cook Out 400 winner.

Shortly after depriving Chase Elliott of the victory and performing the victory burnouts, Byron excitedly rushed out of his vehicle and celebrated with his crew, after which he summed up his Sunday at Martinsville, saying:

"Just so proud of everyone at Hendrick Motorsports...to be here for the 40th anniversary, all that goes into just this organization, all the people, it’s all about the people."

Byron added:

“It’s pretty awesome. Badass to win at Martinsville. We’ve been struggling at the short tracks. Just kept inching up on it. I’ve got a great team. They just kept my head in it. It stunk to do a restart there at the end like that, but that’s the way it goes.”

With three wins, three top-5 finishes, and five top-10 finishes, Byron has climbed 3 spots in the rankings and now sits at the fourth position in the Drivers' championship. The previous table topper, Martin Truex Jr. got dethroned by Kyle Larson who leads the rankings with 309 points to his name.