“It's been tried and it's not really worked”: HMS ace William Byron puts Larry McReynolds’ ‘good solution’ under the microscope

William Byron recently weighed in on Larry McReynolds' proposed fix for NASCAR’s last-lap caution controversies. His and other top drivers' response was captured in a video posted by Kyle Dalton on X.

Dalton, a writer at Athlon Sports, shared the clip with the caption detailing McReynolds’ idea and the reactions it received from drivers like Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Byron. The video was recorded during the NASCAR weekend at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).

"This past week @LarryMac28 proposed a solution for the last-lap caution controversies at @DAYTONA and Atlanta. On Saturday at @NASCARatCOTA, multiple drivers, including @kylebusch, @joeylogano, @dennyhamlin and @WilliamByron responded to the idea," the caption read.

McReynolds' suggestion aims to resolve inconsistencies in NASCAR's handling of late-race cautions. His solution is that the only flag that should end a race is the checkered flag. This would ensure that every race finishes under green flag conditions. While the idea may lead to more crashes and damaged cars, it would eliminate the confusion caused by inconsistent officiating.

When asked about this proposal, William Byron acknowledged that it was a good solution but pointed out that similar ideas had been attempted before without much success. He explained that late-race chaos is often inevitable due to the nature of the current car and the aggressive racing at the end.

“So yeah I mean that's a good solution, but I feel like it's been tried and it's not really worked that well so, yeah I don't know, I think, after years of judgment and unfortunately we're crashing a lot at the end of the races and that's just the nature of this car and the big runs that you get,” he said.

Byron also explained that the drivers rarely slow down in an "accordion effect," making multi-car wrecks more frequent. He added that judgment calls have always played a role, and crashes at the finish are simply part of the sport.

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William Byron confident ahead of COTA weekend

William Byron’s big weekend has just begun at Circuit of the Americas, where he has already competed in the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, March 1, ending it with a second-place finish right behind Connor Zilisch. He is now all geared up for his Cup Series race on Sunday, March 2. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is optimistic about his chances on the road course, especially after a strong start to the season.

William Byron, who won back-to-back Daytona 500 wins, is looking to defend his win at COTA. Before the race, Byron shared that the additional laps in the Xfinity car would give him an advantage in adapting to the shorter course layout. He said about the race in a recent interview:

"I'm more than ready to get to COTA. We've always been fast there and last year really showed what this team is capable of. The course will be shorter this time, but that's where the extra laps in the Xfinity car should help. After the last two weekends of drafting, I'm happy to be going to a road course that takes such technique."

William Byron has a strong record at COTA, with an average finish of 7.3 in four starts. He has won two poles and led 70 laps at the track. This will be his third race here.