It was just a few days ago when Hendrick Motorsports prodigy William Byron was roaring on the tracks of NASCAR. The young driver was completely invincible as he notched four victories early in the season and secured his place in the postseason. Moreover, the driver also secured his 100th win after his victory in Darlington for the iconic No. 24 Chevrolet, which once belonged to Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon.
Nevertheless, the race at Michigan seemed to have been an absolute nightmare not only for William Byron but also for his other two teammates. The drivers had to retire from the race early after being struck with mechanical issues and other on-track incidents. thus putting an end to favorable, where the drivers could have altered the playoff picture once and for all.
However, are the drivers solely at fault for the tragedies that befell the team, or is there someone else who can be accused of the incidents, especially Chase Elliott and William Byron?
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William Byron falls prey to the same situation as his teammate Chase Elliott
William Byron was surely riding the high waves of success in the present Cup Series season, as he notched 4 victories, making him the biggest contender for the regular-season championship. However, things seemed to have gone south in the past few races, as the driver seemed to have encountered unforeseeable circumstances. Byron even relinquished his lead to Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin and currently stands third with 703 points in the points table.
The driver did have the chance to reclaim his lost position and climb back to the points table, but disaster struck for William Byron shortly after his teammate Chase Elliott had retracted from the track in Michigan. Well, the mutual culprit in both cases was none other than tire failures.
The incident occurred on the ultimate lap of Stage 1 when his Goodyear tires gave away, and Byron hit the outside wall at the exit of Turn 4. The broadcaster was heard saying, “William Byron hit the wall coming off Turn 4.” The driver also expressed on the team radio, “The right front feels like the upper is broke.”
Although the car did not sustain heavy damage, the crew members tried to repair the damage under the Damage Vehicle Policy. However, the driver was eventually ruled out of the race, thus forcing him to call it a day after leading the race for quite a while.
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Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 finds himself in a tough spot as the playoff bubble bursts with the Michigan race
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William Byron, after finishing the race at 35th, fell back 96 positions from the scoring leader, Martin Truex Jr. However, it was not just William Byron who faced the worst end in Michigan but also his other teammate and 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott.
The No. 9 Chevrolet driver had to call it quits just 12 laps before Byron’s on-track incident. The incident occurred on lap 35 when the right rear tire gave away and the driver rammed into the outside wall at Turn 1, which forced Elliott to return back to the pits and call it a day. Elliott, who had portrayed a favorable performance on the track, was dejected as he was heard saying on the radio, “Popped a tire.”
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Exiting the car, Elliott expressed to the media, “Really early in the day to have a tire blow like that; it was really weird. Bummer, but not surprised. Obviously, we stayed out, but I don’t even feel like I was being hard on it.”
Apart from Elliott and Byron, the other Hendrick Motorsports driver who had faced a fateful race, and would wish to forget the race was Alex Bowman. The No. 48 Chevy found himself embroiled in an on-track incident when Chase Briscoe tagged him. This eventually led Bowman to be spun on the track and collide with Todd Gilliland.
With just three races left on the schedule, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman have only one option left in order to make it to the playoffs: a victory. Whether both drivers are able to do so or whether William Byron is able to snatch the regular-season title, it is only a matter of time before all the answers are delivered.
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