FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — William Byron got a milestone victory for Rick Hendrick Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway while advancing into the round of eight of NASCAR playoffs.
Bubba Wallace felt like he let one get away.
Byron took the lead for the first time right after the final restart with six laps left Sunday at Texas, staying in front after going underneath Wallace and Chase Briscoe, to win the opener of the second round of the playoffs and get the 300th victory for Hendrick Motorsports.
“I choked ... I had my worst restart,” said Wallace, who after just sneaking into the round of 12 started from the pole and led a career-high 111 laps. “This one is going to sting for a little bit.”
After an earlier restart with 20 laps to go in the 267-lap race, when Kyle Larson and Wallace hadn't taken fresh tires, they were side-by-side going into turn 1 when Larson got loose on the inside. Larson's car went up the track and slammed hard into the wall to end his day, but didn’t make contact with Wallace.
But there was still one more restart, after six cars got caught up in an accident in the back of the field, including playoff contenders Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick, last year's winner at Texas.
That is what set up Byron to take the lead and the win, while Wallace finished third behind second place Ross Chastain.
“Third time, I fooled myself starting on top," said Wallace. "These guys gave me the right information. 14 (Chase Briscoe) was tight and he sent it off in there. Wasn't going to stick, but that's what he's going to do. We're racing for a win. I just hate it. I should have just kept my line into (turn) three and forced William (Bryon) to get tight. But we're so vulnerable in these cars, right? But just upset with myself. Really needed a win there, and it was a good showing. I don't know where that puts us. I don't really care. But I know what I did, and I choked.”
BUSCH BACKED OUT
Kyle Busch knew something was wrong with his car when trying to get to the end of first stage. The playoff contender didn't make it that far, with No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet getting loose and slamming hard into the outside wall in Turn 1 before coming down to the inside of the track.
“I felt like I had a flat right front (tire) , and I was going to come to pit road. I second-guessed it, and said 'I don't think so, man. It's just something's wrong. Something's not right, but it's not a a flat',” Busch said. “And just all on its own, just turned into the bottom of the race track in Turn one and it just swapped ends on me. That’s the rear, not the front, not having grip."
Busch had the car in reverse, backing down the entire backstretch, through the third and fourth turns all the way to his pit stall. He finished only 73 laps and was 34th in the 36-car field, dropping from sixth to 12th in the playoff standings.
ODDS AND ENDS
For the first time since Texas opened in 1997, the race wasn’t scheduled for 501 miles, and was 100 miles shorter. ... Playoff contenders have won each of the first four playoff races this season, after non-playoff drivers did so in the first four last year. ... The outside temperature reached 101 degrees, making it the hottest Cup race ever at Texas, which opened in 1997. The track temperature was 140 degrees early in the race.
LOOSE WHEELS
Two cars lost right rear wheels in a span of 13 laps early in the race. Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet when racing full speed near turn 3 on lap 41, bringing out the first caution soon after the first cycle of green-flag pit stops had mostly been completed. Then 12 laps later, after another caution, the right rear came off the No. 51 ord driving by Todd Gilliland.
UP NEXT
The series returns to Talladega Superspeedway, where Busch won double overtime and under caution in April. Blaney and Buescher finished second and third in that race that had 57 lead changes among 21 drivers.
