NEWTON, Iowa — William Byron admitted he was nervous heading into the final laps of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway.
“But I feel like we’ve been on the other side of this in the last month and a half,” he said.
Byron fought off fuel worries in the closing laps. He went the last 144 of the 350-lap race without a pit stop for the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet en route to his Cup Series second victory of the season — he won the season-opening Daytona 500 for the second straight year in February — and the 15th of his career.
He also took the season points lead from teammate Chase Elliott with just three races remaining for the playoffs begin.
Byron, who was second to Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney last season in Iowa Speedway’s inaugural Cup Series race, lost gambles on fuel twice this season — at Michigan International Speedway in June and at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend — but held on with the help of a caution-filled final stage to win by 1.192 seconds over Chase Briscoe, who had started in pole position in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota.