What’s better than proving your doubters wrong? William Byron’s runner-up result at Kansas Speedway was a statement to the NASCAR community that the 26-year-old shouldn’t be ruled out of the playoffs just yet. The Hendrick Motorsports driver dominated the 1.5-mile oval, winning the opening stage to secure a playoff point and had the best average position (4.6) among all the drivers. With recent results being less than flattering, the 26-year-old will now look to go on a run, now that momentum is on his side.

While the result was far from perfect, William Byron will take plenty of positives from this performance ahead of the second Round of 12 race at Talladega Superspeedway. He currently leads the driver standings, much to the disappointment of the Hendrick Motorsports haters who were eager to see him fail.

William Byron credits team for the runner-up finish

Ross Chastain’s victory at the 2024 Hollywood Casino 400 meant that no driver competing for the title secured an automatic berth into the Round of 8 at Kansas Speedway. However, William Byron came closest, taking second place in the race’s final restart and attempting to make the pass in the closing stages. However, the Hendrick Motorsports driver couldn’t catch up to his Trackhouse Racing rival, with three and six-tenths of a second separating the two drivers. Eventually, Chastain was the first to cross the checkered flag, just 0.388 seconds ahead of William Byron.

Highlighting the key factor that helped Chastain secure the victory, William Byron said, “He was really good in clean air. My car was a little bit tight second half of the race. We just needed a little bit different balance but overall happy with the day. Thought we did a really good job. Thought we executed well. We kind of got trapped behind a little bit in the second stage. We’re still able to get some top-four stage points and then just kept building from there. Really proud of my team.”

It was William Byron’s career-best finish at Kansas Speedway and his highest Cup Series result this season since mid-August. The outcome of the race was decided by the smallest of margins, as Chastain had the advantage during the race’s final restart while Byron was held up by pit road traffic, which made all the difference in the closing laps. Even though the Hendrick Motorsports driver managed to reduce the deficit, he ran out of time and laps to secure the victory.

Hendrick Motorsports has never had a shortage of haters. Plenty of ‘fans’ don’t like just how good NASCAR’s most successful team has been in the sport’s history, and Kyle Larson’s dominance at Bristol Motor Speedway didn’t help matters. William Byron’s runner-up finish at Kansas Speedway was just another blow for the team’s critics, who had previously criticized the North Carolina native for his inconsistent results. With the team looking stronger than ever, all four drivers are looking increasingly likely to make a deep playoff run.

Byron outlines hopes for upcoming races

The one thing missing from William Byron’s season so far has been consistency. The 26-year-old started the 2024 campaign strongly, securing three wins in the opening eight races. Since then, he hasn’t entered Victory Lane in the last 24 Cup Series appearances, despite finishing regularly in the top ten. Having come close to breaking that deadlock at Kansas Speedway, Byron is hoping to improve at Talladega Superspeedway and Charlotte Roval to keep his playoff hopes alive.

Speaking after the race, the Hendrick Motorsports driver said, “I feel good but you know, there’s still a lot of work to do. Try to go to Talladega and have a really really good weekend there. This would have been a great way to definitely punch our ticket. Just knowing what looms ahead but I feel good about Talladega and feel good about the Roval as well. We’re always strong.”

Whether William Byron manages to take advantage of his momentum remains to be seen. He has a good record at the ‘Dega, finishing runner-up in last year’s 2023 YellaWood 500 and securing a seventh-place result earlier this year. The 2.66-mile tri-oval might be his best opportunity to get a victory, as Charlotte Roval’s road course/oval hybrid could be a difficult challenge for all the drivers. Do you think Byron will go on a playoff run and potentially compete at Phoenix Raceway for the title? Let us know in the comments!