FORT WORTH, Texas — William Byron picked up a milestone victory for team owner Rick Hendrick while advancing into the round of eight in the NASCAR Cup Series 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 Motor Speedway — keeping his No. 24 Chevrolet in front after going underneath Wallace’s 23XI Racing Toyota and Chase Briscoe’s Stewart-Haas Racing Ford — 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 position and led a career-high 111 laps Sunday. “This one is going to sting for a little bit.”
The top five finishers were all playoff contenders, with Ross Chastain second in a Trackhouse Racing Chevy, ahead of Wallace and Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin, both in Toyotas. Retiring driver Kevin Harvick — the SHR veteran was one of four drivers cut from the initial playoff field of 16 after three races — was sixth in the highest finish for a Ford driver, and playoff driver Brad Keselowski was seventh for RFK Racing.