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Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron came home one spot short of winning the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at the Iowa Speedway on Sunday (June 16). Byron feels his runner-up finish at Iowa is a good start to putting together some consistent runs in gaining momentum back.
The runner-up finish was nothing short of relief and satisfaction for Byron and his #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team. The P2 result came at a good time for Byron, as it ended the challenging period where he struggled to deliver consistent runs since winning at Martinsville Speedway on April 7.
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Despite missing out on a win, Byron is proud of his team’s performance and focusing on the positives as he moved to fourth place in the points table. Speaking to NBC Sports after the race, Byron said:
“Proud of this team. We need to put together some consistent runs. This is a good start. Would love to be winning tonight, but Ryan and those guys were really good.”
William Byron lost the 2024 Iowa Corn 350 to Ryan Blaney in the closing laps as he couldn’t chase down him, falling short to a win by 0.716 seconds.
“He had a really good car, so he was up front and contending a lot, and him and [Kyle Larson] were really good. So, we were just a step off of that, you know? I feel like I just needed to turn the center just a hair better and still kind of maintain the long run,” Byron continued.
In the last six races, the #24 HMS driver has three finishes of 23rd or worse and two finishes of sixth or better.
“I just couldn’t close the gap” - William Byron on challenges at Iowa
The 2024 Daytona 500 winner described the challenges he faced during the NASCAR Cup Series’ first trip to Iowa Speedway. Byron admitted that after about 15 laps on his four fresh tires, his #24 car struggled to reduce the gap between himself and race leaders.
Speaking to motorsports reporter Matt Weaver about the challenges after the race at Iowa, Byron said:
“It felt like when I got 15 or so laps on my tires, I just couldn’t close the gap. From lap 20-55 or 60, I just didn’t really close the gap, and I feel like that’s what I needed to pounce on him and try to get clean air.”
Watch William Byron next in action at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway for USA Today 301 on Sunday, June 23.
