William Byron dominated the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, sweeping the first three stages and leading 283 of 400 laps on the 1.5-mile oval. Yet, his bid for a second win of the season, following his Daytona 500 triumph, slipped through his fingers in the final laps. Ross Chastain surged past Byron with six laps remaining, snatching the trophy in dramatic fashion in the Queen City.
Advertisement
Visibly gutted, Byron had little to say during the post-race pit road interview: “It’s just frustrating. Don’t really have the words for it.” His heartbreak was echoed by many, including former NASCAR Cup driver Kyle Petty, who found it almost unfathomable that Byron didn’t seal the win in what seemed like a sure thing.
Still, Petty acknowledged that despite Byron’s near-flawless execution, the No. 24 team ultimately got outrun by Trackhouse Racing’s No. 1.
Speaking on NASCAR Inside the Race alongside Steve Letarte, Todd Gordon, and Alex Weaver, Petty remarked, “Sometimes you just get beat or you do everything you can, and William Byron and Rudy [Fugle] did everything they could, and they just got beat. There’s nothing we can say.”
Petty also reflected on Byron’s misfortune at Darlington earlier this year, where a pit road error cost him the lead after dominating for 243 laps, allowing Denny Hamlin to snatch the victory.
That was the race when Kyle Petty felt worse. He compared the two instances, saying, “I was more devastated, and I would be more devastated as a driver to know I gave that away. I just gave that win away. He didn’t give this win away. He got beat.”
Petty made it clear that Byron and his team were bested by a stronger car and a more determined driver in the decisive moments. Having already secured a victory in the Xfinity Series race at Charlotte just a day earlier, a Cup win would have capped a perfect weekend for him.
But once Chastain grabbed the lead, despite Byron’s multiple attempts to slip underneath, the Trackhouse driver refused to give up the top spot, and eventually won his first race of the season.
