William Byron blamed himself for a crash during Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice in Chicago that damaged his No. 24 car and forced him to start from the rear of the field.
Byron, who had been one of the fastest drivers on the street course, called himself an ‘idiot’ after the incident while speaking in an interview with truTV.
William Byron Explains What Caused His Turn 10 Crash in Chicago Practice
The Hendrick Motorsports driver lost control entering Turn 10 late in the practice session. He slid into the wall and broke the left-rear toe-link on his Chevrolet. The car was able to return to pit road, but the damage was too much to continue.
The No. 24 gets into the wall!@WilliamByron was at the top of the speed charts at the time of this incident. pic.twitter.com/hoNMOju9J4
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 5, 2025
Byron didn’t participate in qualifying as his team worked on repairs. He’ll now start from the back alongside Denny Hamlin, who lost an engine early in practice. Before the crash, Byron had been the fastest in Group 1 practice. He set a lap time of 1:31.008, over three-tenths quicker than defending race winner Shane van Gisbergen.
But trying to squeeze in more track time in the closing minutes proved to be the wrong call. Byron said he had just come out of the pits and was starting to push when he lost grip and hit the wall.
“I just… I am an idiot,” Byron said. “So, I just took a lot of shape through there and a lot of speed, obviously, I was just kinda getting my tires cleaned back off from leaving pit road.”
When asked if he was taking a different approach, Byron said, “No, I had just pitted, so my tires were probably just coming up to temp again. I took it easy the first half of the lap, and I was starting to push, being close to the alternate start/finish (line,) and just lost traction. Just sucks starting from the back… Just don’t like crashing.”
A frustrated @WilliamByron talks with the @truTV team. pic.twitter.com/CrecpDpcG5
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 5, 2025
Byron’s crash was the most severe of the day among the four Hendrick Motorsports cars, all of which will start from the rear in Sunday’s 75-lap street race. In Group 2 practice, Chase Elliott hit the wall between Turns 3 and 4, causing left-side damage and skipping qualifying as a result.
Alex Bowman also hit the wall and broke a suspension part. He managed to post the 11th-fastest time in qualifying, but the team chose to repair the car, costing him his starting spot. Kyle Larson, who qualified 14th, also had to give up his position after his team decided to fix the damage from his run.
Byron, Elliott, and Larson currently sit first, second, and third in the Cup Series points standings. Elliott won last weekend at EchoPark Speedway. Bowman, who won last year in Chicago, is 12th in the standings and still chasing a playoff spot.
Byron ended Saturday second overall on the practice speed charts, but that speed won’t count for much with a starting spot at the tail end of the field. The Grant Park 165 is scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 6.
More: NASCAR Chicago Street Race 2025: Full TV Schedule, Start Times, and How to Watch the Grant Park 165