Denny Hamlin‘s crash with just a couple of laps remaining at the Texas Motor Speedway was not the last bit of chaos in the race. On the final lap, after Chase Elliott crossed the white flag, Ross Chastain seemed all set to finish P2, but William Byron bumped into the #1 and sent him spinning. The Trackhouse Racing star, who suffered a DNF as a result, was not best pleased. However, there was no hint of regret from the driver of the #24 car, as he said that he would make a similar move in a similar situation again.
William Byron’s apologetic post-race attitude makes a sudden turn
The NASCAR Cup Series is among the most competitive motorsports competitions, and that was on full display in Texas. William Byron ended up finishing P3 in the race. After he was released from the infield care center after the wreck, Ross Chastain was so disappointed that he declined to comment on the incident. Byron also showed a hint of apology after the race when he said that he did not want to do something like that to anyone again, but his recent comments were anything but apologetic.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“We haven’t spoken yet, I haven’t reached out to him, but I am sure we will get acquainted later this week, but yeah, I don’t. Nothing really changes for me. My perspective, we just came together and in a spot there, he was coming down the track to try to cover my run and I was just making the corner exit like I anticipated and being not where he would be on the exit so yeah it’s unfortunate but it’s racing on the last lap and I just kind of do that ten out of ten times probably,” said William Byron.
William Byron had a scheduled media availability today. What he said about the last-lap wreck with Ross Chastain and why he would have made the same move every time on the last lap. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/BdvrVN12fY
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 16, 2024
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
It’s important to understand that, more than anything, William Byron is a motorsports athlete, and the spirit of competition is probably never going to go away. Ross Chastain is also the same, at least as far as the driver of the #24 car is concerned.
HMS star driver claims that his Texas victim would have done the same
Trending
William Byron believes that if the roles were reversed, the Trackhouse Racing star would have done the same thing as him. Chastain is not the cleanest racer in the competition. He, too, has had moments that can be brought into question by the fans. At the end of the day, it is all equated to being a part of hard racing, and the driver of the #1 car just has to deal with the Texas setback.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
When asked if he expected Chastain to pull a similar move, Byron said, “I would yeah, I think probably the timing and the momentum that I had was probably like maybe a little bit different than what he thought or something. Once we talk we’ll discuss it and go from there.”
Do you think the last-lap crash between William Byron and Ross Chastain was just a racing incident, or should the Hendrick Motorsports star have been punished by NASCAR? Let us know your thoughts.
Challenge Your Sports Knowledge!
Solve the puzzle and prove your knowledge of iconic players, terms, and moments.