“It just sucks”: William Byron disappointed after Ross Chastain got the “needed” final restart

William Byron expressed his disappointment after coming extremely close to clinching a victory at the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway and missing the top finish by just one position and 0.388 seconds. In a post-race interview, he noted that Ross Chastain's advantageous restart, while he was still navigating through pit road traffic, ultimately made it Chastain’s day.

After securing second place at Kansas Speedway, William Byron ascended to the top of the standings with a 34-point lead. A victory would have granted him an automatic pass into the Round of 8.

In a discussion with NBC Sports, the Hendrick Motorsports driver shared:

"He got the restart he needed to. I was in the second row just trying to clear those guys. And once I got clear then my balance was okay- Just a little bit tight, but just kind of itching up on. I mean I needed probably for it to be a longer run being a second. But damn it! I wanted that one really bad. It sucks man. You're so close and you know going to Talladega, you know what that is so just sucks."

During the final restart of the Hollywood Casino 400, William Byron, alongside Alex Bowman and Ross Chastain, engaged in a three-way battle for second. At that crucial juncture, Chastain took the lead when the subsequent caution positioned him on the front row with then-leader Martin Truex Jr.

As the race resumed, William Byron maneuvered into second place while Chastain overtook Truex, maintaining the lead for the final 20 laps. Byron gradually narrowed #1's lead, shaving off small fractions of time. Reflecting on what could have enhanced his finish, William Byron remarked [via Speedway Digest],

"Yeah, just clean air."

Entering the race at Kansas, Byron boasted the best average running position of any driver on the track at 4.6. He also led for 24 laps and scored the highest stage points of the race, totaling 17. Additionally, by winning the first stage, Byron secured an extra playoff point for his tally.

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William Byron's 2024 NASCAR Cup season so far

William Byron started the season with a win at Daytona—the first win for the #24 team since Jeff Gordon's in 2005. Following a top-10 performance in Las Vegas, Byron clinched another victory at the Circuit of the Americas. After a brief interlude, where he finished 7th at Richmond, he returned to the winner's circle with a victory at the Cook Out 400 race at Martinsville Speedway.

In addition to his three regular-season victories, Byron has amassed nine top-5 finishes, fifteen top-10 finishes, and one pole position. Throughout 30 starts, he has maintained an average start position of 9.1 and an average finish of 14.7, leading a total of 285 laps.