CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- William Byron didn't get the finish he wanted, but he's not letting his early exit from the DAYTONA 500 determine the rest of his season.
The 22-year-old driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE had his bumper tapped by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the 58th lap of "The Great American Race" Monday, which saw him slide off the track and into the infield.
Byron was unable to finish the race as a result and placed 40th.
“Just from looking at it further, I think he slid left to cross my bumper and if he would have hit me square, it would have been fine. But when he was sliding left and hitting me, it moved my car a little left too and, ultimately, it kind of caused him to turn me in the left rear," Byron said.
"I’m not really sure how that happens, but it is what it is. I don’t really know what to do differently; just kind of go back, look at it, go onto Vegas and try to do well there.”
It was a tough way for Byron to end his run at Daytona, which saw him start fourth after he won the second Duel Thursday night.
“It’s the ups and downs of racing," Byron said. "It goes up and down, and luckily, we got something points-wise out of this race or less we’d have one point. I guess we have 10 or 11 points going into Las Vegas. We’re going to have to rebound and rally there. I don’t know, I’m not really sure what I could have done differently.”
Byron's next chance to secure his first career win will come Sunday, when he and the rest of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates head to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race will start at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.