After running out of fuel twice in the past month, William Byron used every last drop on his way to victory lane.
William Byron had about the best start to the season that anyone could ask for. He won the Daytona 500, and then two more races shortly thereafter.
Christopher Bell was matching him win for win. For the first couple of months of the season, it really seemed like the Byron and Bell Show.
Since then, though, both teams have faltered. It’s been a long summer for both drivers. However, with the current “win and you’re in” playoff format, it’s hard to tell whether these struggles are genuine.
Both teams – Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing – represent the top echelon of the sport. Both teams are comfortably in the playoffs, and with three wins each, it’s more or less a guarantee that they have enough playoff points to remain above the cut line in the first round.
This means that both Byron and Bell have been able to experiment with setup and strategy. With the resources available to both teams, they can afford to spend whatever is necessary to find that extra edge.
For Byron, though, it wasn’t about setup or R&D. Instead, Byron has had two races in the past month where a razor’s edge fuel strategy didn’t pay off, and he ran out of gas while running in the top 5.
Last Sunday, at Iowa Speedway, the gamble paid off big time. For most of the race, it seemed like Brad Keselowski, Chase Briscoe, and possibly Ryan Blaney had the best chance of winning. Instead, Byron and his crew were able to stretch ever last drop of Sunoco fuel out of the tank to collect win number 4 for 2025.
Speaking of which, will Shane van Gisbergen collect win number 4 this weekend at Watkins Glen? We’ll find out Sunday. He’d better watch out for Byron – he won there in 2023.
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