William Byron Reveals Fading Conceitedness Amid Kyle Larson’s Vegas Thriller

William Byron emerged as an outright favorite for the round of 8 with his performances. An astounding average finish of 1.67 in the Round of 12 had every other driver worried as the Las Vegas race came closer to kickoff. However, a multitude of non-racing factors can affect the way a driver’s race unfolds, and great results aren’t promised for similar performances either. Byron had to go through a similar feeling on Sunday at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Byron will be hoping to recreate a similar atmosphere in the next race as his teammate and #5 driver Kyle Larson did in Vegas. The 30-year-old fended off pole-winner Christopher Bell and a revigorated Kyle Busch, who came out with all guns blazing despite an exit in the previous round. Having said that, Larson’s win also acted as fodder for Byron’s hunger to win. The 25-year-old sensation would have been pleased to find a spot in Championship 4 with a win here, and Sunday’s race might have sparked some doubts within him.

William Byron was upset about an ‘average’ outing in Las Vegas

William Byron already has a huge burden on his shoulders. Maybe Larson winning in the first round of the Round of 8 makes things a bit easier for team owner Rick Hendrick, but for Byron, it makes things harder for him. With only two races left to make amends, the #24 driver will be under pressure to make the occasion count at Homestead Miami.

Things would have been easier for the North Carolina youngster had he finished on the podium, similar to the way he started the race at P3. While pole-winner Bell and Larson continued to dominate the front row, the results saw an influx of playoff-ousted drivers in positions P3–P5. A late resurgence from these drivers in the second stage meant that Byron was pushed back to P7.

The #24 driver voiced his displeasure over not being able to make more out of the race, especially after speedrunning the Round of 12 races. Speaking to Fronststretch, Byron said, “No, I think, I mean, we’re only nine points ahead, so we’ve got a lot of work to do. So, we’ll see, I mean, we definitely would have liked to have a better day today and just kind of had an average day.”

Thanks to Ryan Blaney’s late disqualification due to a violation of rules by his car’s equipment, Byron gained one position and had a final finish of P6. On any given day of NASCAR racing, P6 might have been a strong finish, but with the championship trophy at stake, Byron felt a bit disappointed to let his opponents take a considerable lead in points.

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The map to success for Byron

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Being the winningest driver of 2023, expectations are stacked up on William Byron. The confidence people have in him is hard to question. Looking at how he performed in the Round of 12, the Round of 8 was speculated to be a cakewalk for him considering he has won races on all four tracks in the last two rounds of the season. However, Kyle Larson’s win came as a reality check.

At the same time, it would be harsh to say that Byron hadn’t accounted for Larson or any other eligible driver. Prior to the race, he had spoken about challenges that could fall his way as he stepped closer to Phoenix. “I mean I think the blueprint is there for success. But the thing I always caution is that things change and evolve, and teams and drivers improve,” said the 25-year-old at Saturday’s post-race press conference.

The blueprint for success can be credited to the #24 team’s crew chief, Rudy Fugle, who has been a backbone for Byron’s campaign. Byron has even previously hinted that Fugle could even propel him to the heights that 7-time champion Jimmie Johnson achieved. With only a 5-point deficit to Larson, Byron has a reachable task on his hands.

“So, we have to kind of take that next step at all of these race tracks coming up. But yeah, it’s nice to have a blueprint of – hey, we’ve been here before … we’ve been fast. We kind of know what balance is achievable and what we want to have in our car, but getting there is definitely a different challenge.”

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Another challenge for Byron will be that the remaining drivers in the playoffs are all equally adaptive and can turn a race on its head on any given day at any of the three tracks next in the schedule. With valuable experience in winning on these tracks, things became a tad easier for Byron as he added, “Yeah, I don’t maybe look at it that much, but it is nice to know and have that comfort that I know how to get around these tracks.”

From a rookie in 2018 to the leading title contender in 2023, William Byron has had a five-year arc that many drivers have longed for. With lots of years in him, it is hard to imagine a possibility where Byron isn’t the next face of NASCAR.