So close, yet so far. That’s what William Byron will feel after finishing runner-up at the 2024 Hollywood Casino 400. Having started the race in sixth place, the 26-year-old racing driver got off to a solid start at Kansas Speedway, finishing first at the end of Stage 1 and fourth after 165 laps. Such was his dominance on the 1.5-mile tri-oval that he secured the highest number of points in the opening Round of 12 playoff race and could have secured his fourth win of the season had he not run out of time and laps.
With two more races before the Round of 8 begins, William Byron’s result has sent a bold statement to other Cup Series drivers. The North Carolina native is often overlooked in comparison to his teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, having not been in contention for a victory since the 2024 FireKeepers Casino 400. However, the result at Kansas is Byron’s way of reminding his rivals that he remains in contention for the championship at Phoenix Raceway later this year.
In the post-race interview, Byron was asked if this was a statement result to the rest of the field, and the No. 24 Chevy driver replied, “It’s just what we can do. We know how important these tracks are and we’re excited to keep building. We got off a little bit of times during the race but we got it back. We’re proud of that. We have work to do but the effort today was really good.”