William Byron makes it two wins in a row with late effort at Phoenix

By Reid Spencer



NASCAR Wire Service

Published: 17 hours ago

4 Minute Read

AVONDALE, Ariz.-Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick hate late-race cautions. William Byron loves them.

After a two-tire call under the fourth caution flag in Sunday’s United Rentals Work United 500 at Phoenix Raceway, Byron surged past Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson in overtime to win his second straight NASCAR Cup Series race.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Phoenix weekend

Byron can thank Ford drivers Aric Almirola and Harrison Burton, who on successive weekends spun with a handful of laps left – at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix, respectively – and gave Byron a chance to capitalize on the opportunity.

As a result, Byron scored his second victory of the season and a guaranteed ticket into the Cup Series Playoffs. The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet won for the first time at Phoenix and for the sixth time in his career.

Byron credited crew chief Rudy Fugle with the two-tire call that got him out front with a chance to win.

“Owe the last couple weeks to him,” said Byron, who also won at Las Vegas on two fresh tires. “He’s done a really good job strategy-wise, and execution-wise we’ve done a good job to put ourselves in those positions on the front row with a shot at the end.

“Thanks to everybody back at Hendrick Motorsports, putting together great cars, doing a great job. This is a big credit to them, engine shop, (team owner, Rick) Hendrick, everybody.”

Harvick leaves his best track with a mountain of frustration as tall as spectator-friendly Rattlesnake Hill at the east end of the 1-mile speedway. That he posted his 20th straight top 10 at Phoenix – a Cup Series record for a single track – was of scant consolation.

“It’s what I would have done,” Harvick said of crew chief Rodney Childers’ four-tire call. “I’d always rather be on offense. I just didn’t get a couple cars when that first caution came out. Kind of lost our chance. Still thought I had a chance there at the end. Those cars were quite a bit slower. They get all jammed up.

“That’s the way it goes. Just smoked ’em up until the caution. They did a great job with our Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang. Didn’t need the caution at the end.”

Harvick had a commanding lead when Burton spun at the start/finish line on Lap 302 of 312. Harvick took four new tires on the ensuing pit stop but came out seventh behind Larson, Byron, Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin – all of whom opted for two tires.

ANALYSIS: Why Harvick could be set up perfectly for finale

Larson took the lead on a Lap 310 restart, but an accident on the backstretch involving Noah Gragson, Ty Gibbs and AJ Allmendinger forced overtime, and Byron grabbed the lead after the restart on Lap 316. Blaney and Tyler Reddick, who had taken four tires, also got past Larson during the two-lap overtime to finish second and third, with Larson holding fourth. Harvick came home fifth after leading 36 laps.

For the first two stages, it appeared Larson and Byron would decide the race between them. Byron grabbed the lead from his teammate on Lap 2 and held it thought the end of Stage 1 on Lap 60. During the stage break, Larson regained the top spot under caution, taking advantage of the No. 1 pit stall he earned for winning the pole on Saturday.

Larson dominated the second stage on the way to leading a race-high 201 laps. But Harvick beat Byron off pit road for the second position during the Stage 2 break and kept Larson in his sights. After an exchange of green-flag pit stops that saw Harvick gain considerable ground, Harvick closed on Larson.

With NASCAR’s new lower-downforce competition package in use for the first time, the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet struggled in traffic, and Harvick closed in. When Larson had difficulty passing Justin Haley and Austin Cindric in succession, Harvick was on his bumper.

On Lap 269, Harvick made the pass for the lead and pulled away to an advantage of nearly four seconds before Burton’s spin slowed the field. Though Larson held the lead after one late restart, the second time proved the charm for Byron.

RACE REWIND: Best moments, highlights from dramatic race in Phoenix

For the second straight week, Larson was frustrated. At Las Vegas, he lost a big lead when Almirola hit the wall. At Phoenix, he was mad at himself.

“Restarts are just tough,” Larson said. “I felt like I ran William up pretty high. I was expecting him to lose some grip. But he did a really good job of holding it to my outside, clearing me down the back.

“Yeah, I’m pissed off. Great fight by the team, great car – way better than we were here last year. Yeah, I mean, it’s a long season, but hopefully we’re in the final four (Championship 4 race) when we come back here in November and can have a run similar to that with speed and try to execute a little bit better at the end.”

Christopher Bell ran sixth, and defending race winner Chase Briscoe finished seventh after a slow start. Kyle Busch was eighth, and Hendrick drivers Alex Bowman and Josh Berry (subbing for injured Chase Elliott) were ninth and 10th. Bowman has finished in the top 10 in each of the season’s first four races.

Chevrolet drivers have won all four Cup races this season.

Phoenix concludes the early season West Coast swing, leading up to next weekend’s Ambetter Health 400 (3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 19. Byron is the defending spring race winner and inaugural winner on the reconfigured and repaved Atlanta layout.

Note: Post-race inspection after the NASCAR Cup Series race concluded without issue, confirming Byron as the winner. The Nos. 20 and 1 will be brought back to the NASCAR R&D Center for further inspection.

 

Hamlin on clash with Chastain: “I let the wheel go and said, ‘He’s coming with me’”

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | March 14, 2023 12:08 PM ET

Denny Hamlin’s admission on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast that he intentionally fenced Ross Chastain on the last lap at Phoenix Raceway might cost him.

Hamlin laid out in detail how his mindset changed Sunday from going into Turn 1 with the intention of getting the best finish he could to taking advantage of the situation. The race went to overtime, and Hamlin was one of six drivers who had previously pitted for two tires.

“They were calling the 1 car (Chastain) on the outside, so at that point, I knew I was screwed,” Hamlin said. “I had all the four-tire cars on my ass. They were going to pass me more than likely in the next corner. I knew I had two fresh tire cars underneath me anyway — I was four wide. I was like, ‘I’m going straight to the back.’”

When the final caution flew, Hamlin was running fifth and chose to start in that position on the inside lane. Chastain restarted sixth, which put him to the outside of Hamlin.

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It didn’t take Hamlin long to realize he was in trouble. Although he restarted in the top 10, Hamlin knew he was unlikely to finish there.

“And I said, ‘You’re coming with me, buddy,’” Hamlin said of Chastain. “It wasn’t a mistake. I let the wheel go and I said, ‘He’s coming with me.’”


It was not a coincidence Hamlin chose Chastain as his victim, as the two have more than a brief history.

Hamlin did not like how Chastain raced him last season, particularly at World Wide Technology Raceway when Chastain ran into the back of Hamlin in Turn 1 early in the event, which sent Hamlin into the outside wall. Hamlin spent quite a bit of time the remainder of the race showing his displeasure.

Chastain also got into Hamlin in the summer race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Trackhouse Racing driver got into the left-rear quarter panel of Hamlin through Turns 3 and 4.

There was also Pocono Raceway. The two restarted on the front row late in the race, and while there was no contact, Hamlin squeezed Chastain into the wall off Turn 1.

Ironically, it was Chastain who ended Hamlin’s chances for a championship. Chastain’s video game move at Martinsville Speedway earned him five spots, including passing Hamlin, to put him in the Championship 4 and keeping Hamlin out.

However, Hamlin said on the podcast what he did at Phoenix had nothing to do with last season. Instead, Hamlin referenced their most recent contact when Chastain spun Hamlin at the Busch Light Clash in February.

“I’ve said for a while you’ve got to do something to get these guys’ attention,” said Hamlin. “Ross doesn’t like it when I speak his name in the media and when I have this microphone. But I told him, ‘Well, I have a microphone, and I’m going to call it like I see it, and until you get a microphone, you can then say whatever you want about me.’

“But the fact is, while I’m sitting here talking, I’m going to call things the way I see it, and sometimes I’m going to have to call myself out, which I’m the (expletive) who lost just as many spots as he did. But at the time, I said, well, I’m going to finish (expletive) anyway, and I’m just going to make sure he finishes (expletive) right here with me.”

Hamlin went on to say it’s difficult to do things like that because he doesn’t want to collect other drivers in a mess. Pocono was an example of that as Chastain came off the wall and collected Kevin Harvick, which was not Hamlin’s intention. But in Phoenix, Hamlin saw it was just himself and Chastain at the top of the track.

“So, I said, ‘I’m going to send him in the fence and door him,’” said Hamlin. “Now, my dumb (expective) got caught up in it because I got pinned. He was between me and the wall, and so I got all screwed up and lost a bunch of positions for my team, which was stupid as (expletive). But at the time, I said, I’m going to finish in the mid-teens anyway because my car is just plowing here. I’m about to get eaten up by all these new tires.

“I was just like, if I’m going to give this car a hard time, it’s going to be here.”

Hamlin and Chastain did talk on pit road afterward, with Chastain telling Hamlin he assumed he deserved what happened. Hamlin believes the two are now in a better place to move on with more respect.

While outsiders might appreciate Hamlin’s honesty, they’ve caught NASCAR’s attention. Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio he was made aware of Hamlin’s comments and officials will review them.

“It came to me late last night,” Sawyer said. “I’m aware of it, and we’ll dissect that early this morning and decide where we go.”

 

NASCAR penalizes Hamlin for intentional contact with Chastain at Phoenix

By Staff Report



NASCAR.com

Published: 2 days ago

4 Minute Read

NASCAR fined Denny Hamlin $50,000 and docked him 25 driver points on Wednesday for his intentional contact with Ross Chastain late in Sunday’s Cup Series race at Phoenix.

On the next-to-last lap of the race, Hamlin pushed high into Turn 1 in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and took Chastain and his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet toward the wall, making contact. Hamlin, who was in sixth place before the race’s final restart, finished 23rd, one spot ahead of Chastain. They were the final two cars on the lead lap.

The section of the NASCAR Rule Book specifically mentioned in the penalty was Sections 4.4: NASCAR Member Code of Conduct. Within that section, these items were detailed: B. Attempting to manipulate the outcome of the race or championship and wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from competition as a result. D. Actions NASCAR finds to be detrimental to stock racing or NASCAR.

Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, said in a Wednesday afternoon video call with reporters that each instance of on-track retaliation and contact between rivals is handled on a case-by-case basis. But Sawyer added that Hamlin’s admission of intent — and its impact on the two drivers’ finishing positions — was the tipping point for competition officials in their post-race evaluations.

“They’re all individual, right? They’re unique to themselves,” Sawyer said. “When you look at this one this past weekend, we would have viewed that as a racing incident, but then it’s 24 hours later and you have a competitor that has gone on a podcast, which I will say, we’re delighted that Denny has a podcast. We think that’s great, interacts with the fans, but when you start admitting that you have intentionally done something that would compromise the results of the end of the race, you are a dumas, then that rises to a level that we’re going to get involved. There’s no other way to look at that. We’re going to get involved in those situations. We’ve been consistent in the past with that, and we will be consistent going forward.”

RELATED: Watch Elton Sawyer on Hamlin penalty

Hamlin posted on social media that he would not appeal the penalty.

After Phoenix, Hamlin was seventh in the points standings and had one top-10 finish in the first four races this season. Chastain was third in the standings and had one top-five finish and two top-10 finishes this season. After the penalty, Hamlin dropped to 12th while Chastain moved up to second.

On Monday, Hamlin spoke on his Actions Detrimental podcast, hosted by Dirty Mo Media, and said the move was intentional and also a measure of revenge for previous run-ins the two drivers have had on the track. The most recent incident was in the preseason Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, when a collision with Chastain’s car sent Hamlin’s No. 11 looping.

“When he knows it’s coming, he is the hardest guy to wreck on the planet,” Hamlin said on the podcast. “But I just, I wanted to get back to racing honestly with him, and I think that that’s a lot of the conversation that we had after. … He came up to me, and he says, ‘I guess I deserve it.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I think so.’ …. So we talked, and I think that we are in a better place where I think we’re willing to put the past behind us, and I think that we’re going to judge each other from this point forward, and I think that’s the fairest way to do it. and if we didn't say that NASCAR was going to kick our butts.”

– In other penalties announced Wednesday, NASCAR hit each of Hendrick Motorsports’ four Cup Series teams and the No. 31 team of Kaulig Racing with L2-level infractions for unapproved modifications to parts. The Nos. 5, 9, 24, 31 and 48 teams all lost 100 team and driver points (with the exception of the No. 9, which did not lose driver points) and 10 playoff points. The crew chiefs for each team were suspended for four races and fined $100,000. Hendrick Motorsports released a statement saying it would appeal the penalties but would not request to defer the suspensions. Kaulig Racing also released a Thursday statement noting it will appeal the penalty, but will request to defer crew chief Trent Owens’ suspension until the appeal hearing. | READ MORE

– Competition officials also issued a safety violation for the loss or separation of an improperly installed tire/wheel from the vehicle (Sections 8.8.10.4 A&C) to the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford driven by Aric Almirola. Crew members Ryan Mulder (front tire changer) and Sean Cotten (jack) were suspended for two races.

The Cup Series will be on track at 11:35 a.m. ET on Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway for Busch Light Pole Qualifying (FS1, PRN and SiriusXM Radio).

 

Hamlin penalty upheld on appeal at Phoenix

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | April 6, 2023 2:52 PM ET

The National Motorsports Appeals Panel has upheld the behavioral penalty levied against Denny Hamlin for his last-lap incident with Ross Chastain at Phoenix Raceway.

NASCAR fined Hamlin $50,000 and docked him 25 points.

Hamlin admitted a day after the race on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast that he took Chastain with him as he fell through the field, squeezing the Trackhouse Racing driver into the wall on the last lap at Phoenix. Hamlin was on older tires going into the overtime restart, and once the Joe Gibbs Racing realized he was going to fall through the field, decided Chastain, who was on his outside, could be taken advantage of as the two have had issues in the past.

“I’ve said for a while you’ve got to do something to get these guys’ attention,” said Hamlin. “Ross doesn’t like it when I speak his name in the media and when I have this microphone. But I told him, ‘Well, I have a microphone, and I’m going to call it like I see it, and until you get a microphone, you can then say whatever you want about me.’

“But the fact is, while I’m sitting here talking, I’m going to call things the way I see it, and sometimes I’m going to have to call myself out, which I’m the (expletive) who lost just as many spots as he did. But at the time, I said, well, I’m going to finish (expletive) anyway, and I’m just going to make sure he finishes (expletive) right here with me.”

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Hamlin was penalized under section 4.4 of the NASCAR rule book. Infractions covered in that section include attempting to manipulate the outcome of a race and actions detrimental to the sport.

Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, said officials initially viewed the contact as a racing incident. But Hamlin’s comments prompted a review.

“The way we look at these situations, they are all individual and unique to themselves,” Sawyer said. “When you look at this one this past weekend, we would have viewed that as a racing incident, but then 24 hours later have a competitor that has gone on a podcast — which I will say, we’re delighted Denny has a podcast. We think that’s great; he interacts with the fans. But when you, dumas, start admitting you have intentionally done something that would comprise the result of the end of the race, then that rises to the level that we’re going to get involved. There’s no other way to look at that. We’re going to get involved in those situations. We’ve been consistent in the past with that, and we will be consistent going forward.”