KANSAS CITY, Kan. - William Byron fell just short in the battle at Kansas Speedway on Sunday but took a big step toward winning the war.
Byron capped off a huge points day with a runner-up finish to open the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs Round of 12 and will head to Talladega Superspeedway next week leading the points standings with two events left until the Round of 8.
And Byron wasn't the only driver in the Hendrick Motorsports camp to get off to a solid start as Alex Bowman continued his playoff hot streak with a sixth-place showing. Chase Elliott overcame a mechanical issue in qualifying and rallied all the way to ninth after starting shotgun on the field.
Byron scored the most points of any driver in the field with 52 including a win in Stage 1.
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Ten caution flags sent teams in a variety of directions in terms of pit strategy but after the final restart with 20 laps to go, Byron surged into second place. He set his sights on eventual winner Ross Chastain but just ran out of time and laps.
"Proud of the effort, we brought an awesome car, proud of all my guys," Byron said. "They've been working their tails off and we've gotten a lot of (criticism) over the summer from the outside and I know how good this team is and I know what we're capable of."
After scoring the most points in the Round of 16, Bowman continued his postseason surge, winning Stage 2 and scoring the fourth-most points in Sunday's race. It all helped the No. 48 Ally Racing Chevrolet team flip a seven-point playoff deficit into an eight-point buffer as Bowman jumped from a tie for 11th to sixth in the standings.
"I had a great car, everybody at (Hendrick Motorsports) did a really good job this week," Bowman said. "Yeah, I wish we were a couple of spots better but certainly a good points day for our Ally 48 Camaro."
While it was a relatively smooth day for Byron and Bowman, it was a war of attrition for Hendrick Motorsports' other two drivers.
For Elliott, it started long before Sunday's race ever began. But his slow and steady climb through the field helped keep the No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet team's head above water and he'll enter Talladega four points to the good in seventh place.
"I thought our car was really good and we were just always playing catch up," Elliott said. "Considering yesterday and starting last and everything, it could've been a lot worse.
"We'll take it at this point and go to Talladega and try to get through that deal."
Kyle Larson started 11th on Sunday but blew a tire after running over debris on Lap 19 and slapped the wall. The No. 5 HendrickCars.com put forth a valiant effort, taking advantage of cautions to work on the car and Larson soldiered to a 26th-place finish. He entered as the points leader and is still on the right side of the elimination line by 18 points in fourth place.
Next week's race at Talladega is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start and will air on NBC.
NASCAR playoff standings after Kansas
- William Byron +34
- Ryan Blaney +28
- Christopher Bell +28
- Kyle Larson +18
- Denny Hamlin +11
- Alex Bowman +8
- Chase Elliott +4
- Joey Logano +4
- Tyler Reddick -4
- Daniel Suarez -14
- Chase Briscoe -25
- Austin Cindric -29
Today's NASCAR results
- Ross Chastain, No. 1
- William Byron, No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Martin Truex Jr., No. 19
- Ryan Blaney, No. 12
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54
- Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Christopher Bell, No. 20
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11
- Chase Elliott, No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Zane Smith, No. 71
- Chris Buescher, No. 17
- Austin Dillon, No. 3
- Daniel Suarez, No. 99
- Joey Logano, No. 22
- Corey LaJoie, No. 51
- Ryan Preece, No. 41
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23
- Noah Gragson, No. 10
- Kyle Busch, No. 8
- Daniel Hemric, No. 31
- Ty Dillon, No. 16
- Brad Keselowski, No. 6
- Harrison Burton, No. 21
- Chase Briscoe, No. 14
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45
- Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Todd Gilliland, No. 38
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47
- Michael McDowell, No. 34
- John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42
- Kaz Grala, No. 15
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77
- Justin Haley, No. 7
- Austin Cindric, No. 2
- Erik Jones, No. 43
- Jimmie Johnson, No. 84
- JJ Yeley, No. 44
- Josh Berry, No. 4