Talladega remained an unconquered front for William Byron as he had to settle for a P3 finish at the Jack Link’s 500. The Hendrick Motorsports driver opened up about his performance after the race and shed light on one particular aspect that could make the races more competitive and entertaining.
William Byron Urges NASCAR to Adapt as Drivers Get ‘Super Smart’ in Key Area
Even though he could not win himself, Byron was instrumental as a supporting force in the exciting finish of Sunday’s race at Talladega.
Byron and Kyle Larson occupied the second row, trailing Austin Cindric and Ryan Preece. Larson played the pusher for Cindric, while Byron did the same for Preece. Both knew the package left them with little chance of making a move — all they could do was push and wait.
Larson and Byron originally finished P3 and P4, respectively. But they got a bump in the standings after second-place Preece was disqualified for a rear spoiler infraction.
Byron faced the media afterward to talk about the race and explained how the race got away from him.
William Byron on where the race got away from him, what he tried to do to get the track position back and thoughts on the package but also no big crash pic.twitter.com/KnMHgdg3i3
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) April 27, 2025
“Well, I feel like where I lost the race was just with five, six to go, when I lost control of the front row,” the 2017 Xfinity Series champion said.
“We just got off-center down the backstretch and lost momentum, and actually three guys on the bottom cleared us, and Preece was able to get in front of me. So like, you are just not really able to make a move to the top.
“Like with this package, if I leave Ryan (Preece) through the tri-oval, I feel like we were just dragging that lane back and maybe I finish second, but we’re not gonna win.
“He knew what to do (Cindric) — he stayed on the bottom and Kyle gave him great pushes.”
Byron feels that NASCAR needs to implement changes to prevent the field from getting too crowded, as drivers have significantly improved their fuel management skills.
“I mean, we are just going to have to change the package,” the 2025 Daytona 500 champion explained. “If we want, you know, want something different.
“I think everyone is getting super smart with fuel savings, I would say. Even myself, I struggle with the fuel savings. Everyone’s gotten so good at it that I feel like I’m usually in the back and then I cycle forward. So, I don’t know how else to do it right now.
“So, I feel like I would like to be able to make more moves personally because I feel like that would separate some (drivers). But right now, you just have to do a really good job executing, and there’s a lot of skill for that for sure.
“But yeah, I just kind of feel like it could be different though,” Byron concluded.