After Ryan Blaney suffered a tire rub nine laps before the end of Stage 1 and scraped the wall, another playoff contender, William Byron, saw his hopes go up in smoke late in the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. With just 31 laps remaining, Byron’s run came to a brutal end when he slammed into Ty Dillon, who was slowing for pit entry, making him the second playoff driver to DNF in the Round of 8 race.
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Byron hadn’t been forewarned that Dillon was pitting and assumed the final pit cycle of the 267-lap event had already wrapped up. Entering the race third in the playoff standings after finishing 11th at the Charlotte Roval on October 5, Byron looked strong, leading 55 laps and running second at the time of the crash.
The collision was a hard-hitter, sending both cars spinning and scattering debris across the track, with broken parts visibly flying through the air on the in-car camera. Byron later explained that he never saw any sign from Dillon and had been battling the blinding sun and smoke on the track. Dillon, on the other hand, said he believed his spotter had relayed his pit intentions to Byron’s team.
“I never saw him wave. I didn’t see any indication he was pitting, and I thought the cycle was fully over. Nobody said anything to my spotter, from what I know. I had zero idea. Everyone’s been wrapping the paint around the corner, and that’s what I was doing to have a good lap,” Byron said after the race.
BYRON WRECKS OUT‼️
A brutal end to great day for William Byron and the No. 24 #NASCARPlayoffs
: @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/RevAZilIQI
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 13, 2025
He added that he was watching Dillon ahead, assuming the Kaulig Racing driver missed the corner entry. But then he started slowing, and Byron admitted he had no idea what was going on. The impact sent Byron’s No. 24 HMS Chevrolet spinning through the field and into a pit stall, while Dillon’s No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet came to rest on the track.
“I’m just devastated. I had no indication. Obviously, I wouldn’t have run full speed into the back of him. We were right there [for the win] with [Larson]. I got loose and lost the lead. Just kind of pacing it. Just as good as we were, and the race was going, for random [stuff] to happen like that, it just sucks. I can’t believe it. During the cycle, you’re anticipating guys pitting. It just sucks,” he said.
Instead of punching his ticket to the Championship 4 with a possible win, the #24 HMS driver now finds himself 15 points below the cut line, his title chase suddenly hanging by a thread. The next two races at Talladega and Martinsville will be make-or-break for him.
Last year, he was in the middle of a nail-biting duel with Christopher Bell at Martinsville, fighting tooth and nail for a single-point advantage to reach the Championship 4. This time, though, he’ll be hoping to stay clear of such an edgy scenario. However, given this Sunday’s result in Sin City and the nature of superspeedway racing at Talladega, it would not be surprising if Byron puts all his cards on Martinsville.
