Byron Makes Points Statement With Loudon Podium

William Byron (Nigel Kinrade/NKP photo)

LOUDON, N.H. – Amid decent results and a points reset in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, William Byron wanted to start the Round of 12 by making a statement.

At New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, despite not winning, Byron built a cushion as he looks to continue his championship run.

Byron finished third in the Round of 12 opener, collecting his first top five since a strong day at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) Int’l a month ago. The ‘Magic Mile’ was also his first time finishing inside the top 10 since that August race.

“It was a good day. It was good overall. I felt like a lot of the things that we've just kind of been building on at the short tracks were working for us,” said Byron. “I feel like this place has always been tricky for me in the Cup car. I feel like the other series were good, but this place in the Cup car has been tough on us.”

Despite not leading any laps, the 27-year-old left his mark by collecting a heap of stage points. With third-place finishes in both segments, he amassed 16 bonus points.

Factoring in consistency and speed Hendrick Motorsports bought throughout the weekend, Byron left New Hampshire in a comfortable position.

Before Sunday, he had no Cup Series top 10s at the Northeastern track. After the Mobil 1 301, he had his best career Loudon finish. To make things even sweeter, Byron expanded his points advantage to 47 over the cut line – the largest buffer among drivers without a win.

William Byron (24) leads several cars at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (Matthew Thacker/Nigel Kinrade Photography)

“We’re just trying to build little bits here and there, and I felt like we could really stack runs together. We had a couple of weak runs in stage one and at the start of stage two,” said Byron. “Once we got that out of the way, though, I felt like we were really strong.”

One thing the entire field battled at New Hampshire was the dominance of Team Penske.

They were close, but throughout the race Byron and his teammate Kyle Larson were one step behind the Penske duo of eventual winner Ryan Blaney and polesitter Joey Logano, as well as affiliate car Josh Berry, who combined to lead 273 of the 301 laps Sunday.

“The Penske guys were super-fast. I felt like they were in another zip code. Other than that, we were really competitive,” noted Byron. “I’m really proud of our team, [and our] Raptor Chevrolet. If we can just build on this, I feel like all of our short track [results] are starting to come together.”

Byron started fifth, stayed within the top five, but didn’t have enough to capture his third win of the season.

It was a good day, but Byron isn’t resting on good. He knows that at this point in the season, the playoffs reward excellence, a tier that his team continues to chase.

“It’s no breathing room because you’ve got to go out and execute every week. You’ve got to keep your foot on the gas in this deal,” said Byron of his points buffer. “Hopefully we can go to Kansas and be up front contending for a win. Then you go to the ROVAL, and you can kind of have that one [race] where you can kind of reset.”

Next week Byon will look to keep the positive train rolling at Kansas Speedway for the second race of round two. The Charlotte, N.C., native finished second in last year’s playoff race in the ‘Heartland’, but most recently struggled to a 24th-place result this spring.

“You've just got to take it one week at a time,” Byron said. “Definitely wasn't expecting to be this strong here. Hopefully we can go to Kansas and be really good.”

Coverage of the Hollywood Casino 400 from Kansas is slated for Sunday, Sept. 28 at 3 p.m. ET on USA, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.