NASCAR Insiders Question Dominating HMS Ace’s Championship-Favorite Status After Uncharacteristic Las Vegas Outing

Touted as one of the favorites ahead of the round of 8, William Byron had an uncharacteristically average day at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He finished in the top 10, but considering where he started and where his teammate finished, it may be a cause for concern. The #24 Hendrick Motorsports driver still sits nine points clear of the cutline, but all is not okay. Perhaps there is a serious cause for concern for the HMS star going into the next couple of races.

William Byron qualified in P3 for the race behind Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell. While those two finished in the top 2 at the end of the race, Byron was pushed down all the way to P6. He finished behind three non-playoff drivers. While a top-10 finish is a good result, every single point counts in the round of 8, and Byron could secure only 38 points—28 fewer than Larson. This has raised concerns in and around the paddock.

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For now, however, William Byron is above the cutline. He cannot afford to take anything lightly but he certainly does not need to be desperate just yet. But NASCAR is a cruel sport. One just needs to look at how defending champion Joey Logano and retiring veteran Kevin Harvick were eliminated from the playoffs. No driver would want this to happen to them after reaching the round of 8, certainly not if they are driving for Hendrick Motorsports.

On a recent episode of The Teardown, eminent NASCAR journalist Jeff Gluck expressed his shock at how William Byron’s race turned out. Both Gluck and Jordan Bianchi had gone for the #24 car as the potential winner, but it wasn’t even close. Byron only led one lap throughout the entire race, which really is uncharacteristic for a driver of his caliber.

Jeff Gluck said that William Byron himself was concerned after the race. The issue was that the #24 Hendrick Motorsports car did not have the long-term pace. It is quite surprising as this is the same car that won on this very track earlier in the season. 

“So that was a little bit weird because you know, it’s like, hey wait a minute now we’re all building up Byron like a championship favorite type of guy…he just wasn’t, you know. It was a fine day but he was never like alright yeah this guy’s gonna…did he lead a lap? He led one lap today, so, I don’t think that’s what you want to see if you’re him. 

“He’s still in a decent position, of course, he’s second in points, the top guy in points without a win and what is he? +9 to the cutline? I mean that’s not a very big cushion at all,” the NASCAR journalist added.

William Byron was not a happy man after the race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In the post-race interview, the driver of the #24 expressed his disappointment with the result.

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William Byron expresses disappointment despite a top-10 finish

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After being in fantastic form in the round of 12, the Hendrick Motorsports title contender said that it was an average day in Vegas. Clearly, he wanted more out of a race that his teammate dominated and won.

During the post-race interview, he told the reporter, “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,” 

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There still are two races to go in the round of 8. William Byron has already won 6 races so far this season and he will be hoping to add one more to the tally before Phoenix. Will the HMS star be able to do it? Let us know your thoughts.