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William Byron, who has never won more than one race in a season, became this season’s first two-time winner on Saturday at Martinsville Speedway.
The Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 was not an action-packed race until a late caution sent the race into overtime. Byron knew he was in for a big challenge with a two-lap overtime sprint about to start and Joey Logano, who was right behind him, was very aggressive. The driver of #24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, however, survived a final restart and took the checkered flag at the 0.526-mile-long track.
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After winning Thursday’s Truck Series race and Saturday’s Cup Series race, he became the first driver to win two events this season. Saturday’s win marked his first win at Martinsville Speedway and his overall fourth Cup victory.
The night witnessed complete dominance from the Hendrick Motorsports driver. Both Byron and pole winner Chase Elliott led 212 and 185 laps respectively. The team also set a record for most laps led at Martinsville of 10,000 laps. In doing so, they became the first team in Cup Series history to lead that number at a single track.
What did William Byron have to say about his win at Martinsville Speedway
During the post-race interview, William Byron admitted that luckily, he stayed out without pitting in the last caution as they felt and could refire the tires. Further, Byron went on to state:
“When that last caution came out [for Todd Gilliland’s brush with the Turn 4 wall on Lap 393], I thought everyone behind us would pit. Luckily, we stayed out—we were aggressive. We felt like we could refire on the tires and be OK. You’ve got one of the most aggressive guys behind you with Logano. I chattered the tires in [Turns] 3 and 4 [on the white-flag lap] and left the bottom open, but I was able to kind of block my exit to get a good drive off [the corner].”
NASCAR Cup Series returns next weekend for the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The venue will host NASCAR’s second-ever dirt race, and the action will be live at 7 pm ET on FOX and MRN.
