Brian Lawdermilk|Getty Images
With his NASCAR Cup Series Playoff hopes on the line, Hendrick Motorsports chauffeur William Byron earned his first profession triumph Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 regular season finale.
The triumph was an automated berth into the playoffs for the 22-year old Byron– a hard-fought prize in an usually full-contact, high-emotion contest on NASCARs well known Daytona high-banks to settle the playoff field.
RELATED: Race results|Who is in the playoff field?
” This is probably the hardest track to points-race,” stated Byron who only had a four-point advantage over Johnson for the last playoff transfer position getting in the race.
When the caution came out, Byron was part of that close-quarter contact racing and the race leader. During the taking place short warning period, Byrons group fretted if his automobile had actually suffered damage in the melee– if Byron ought to avoid for the reboot rather of pitting. He avoided and the gamble settled with Byrons very first NASCAR Cup Series win and a berth in the playoffs.
Hamlin completed third, followed by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. Richard Petty Motorsports driver Bubba Wallace turned in a season-best fifth-place finish. Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Brendan Gaughan, Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-10.
” First and foremost, congratulations to my teammate for getting his very first Cup win like that,” Johnson said. Chad Knaus and William Byron, truly happy for those people.
” We made it,” DiBenedetto said. “I do not care how we did it. All my goal was, was to come in here and make it..
And we were racing around the No. 21 (DiBenedetto) and the No. 48 (Johnson) in the final phase and I was like, male, Ive to really make something take place. Luckily, I was able to press the No. 43 (Wallace) and he and the No. 22 (Logano) opened and made some contact up a hole for me and I wasnt going to lift.
” I truly feel like we had a way to transfer to win or point our method the way it went the very first two phases and things just got awful in Turn 1. Unfortunate, however thats plate racing.
” Im just incredibly blessed and this is extraordinary,” stated Byron, who drives the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. With his win, Byron moved up to a ninth-place seeding.
Byron took the lead from this years Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin on an overtime reboot with two laps to go and with vehicles drawing out behind him, ultimately had the ability to hold off his Hendrick Motorsports colleague Chase Elliott by a blink-of-the-eye.119- second..
Kyle Busch led 31 laps but with just eight laps staying in what had been a mainly incident-free race, Busch, the ruling NASCAR Cup Series champion, was gathered in the very first of 2 mega-accidents. 10 vehicles suffered damage in the occurrence and a red flag flew for more than 10 minutes.
The 10-race NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs start next Sunday with the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (6 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The 83-race NASCAR Cup Series winner had a tough path to earn a playoff berth. He was in contention to move into his final playoffs chance till being captured up in an 11-car mishap with just 2 laps left in policy.
The only two playoff positions still up for grabs on the night were filled by Byron and Matt DiBenedetto, who earned the Final and 16th Playoff position with a 12th location effort– a simple six points much better than seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson who nursed a badly-damaged car house to a 17th-place finish.
Seven-race winner Kevin Harvick, the routine season champ, is the leading seed and takes a 10-point advantage into the playoffs over six-race winner Denny Hamlin. With his win, Byron went up to a ninth-place seeding. DiBenedetto begins his very first playoffs seeded 16th.
” We had an actually excellent cars and truck and last couple months weve been really getting our act together and running well. Actually dissatisfied to not remain in the Playoffs. That was the top goal to begin the year.”.
” It was awesome.”.
” Im simply extremely blessed and this is incredible,” stated Byron, who drives the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. “Its been a hard couple of years in the Cup Series and trying to get my very first win and gel with this group. These men did an amazing job today and got us in the Playoffs and its incredible.
SEE: See how Reddicks block of Busch leads to trash.
The race restarted with 5 laps remaining but another event at the front of the field included 11 cars and trucks– including Johnsons No. 48 Chevrolet and Joey Loganos No. 22 Team Penske Ford which had won the races first two stages.
” I wanted it so bad for this team,” he continued, with a nod to the longtime Wood Brothers Racing operation he drives for this year.
RELATED: Johnson: We did all we could.
Byron was part of that close-quarter contact racing and the race leader when the caution came out. During the taking place short red flag duration, Byrons group stressed if his automobile had suffered damage in the melee– if Byron should remain out for the reboot rather of pitting. He remained out and the gamble paid off with Byrons first NASCAR Cup Series win and a berth in the playoffs.
