LAS VEGAS, Nevada - Sunday's opening race in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs Round of 8 quickly turned into a war attrition for the remaining playoff drivers.
And that only amplified the importance of yet another solid run for William Byron.
After scoring top-three finishes in all three races of the Round of 12, Byron rolled home fourth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman finishing just behind in fifth. With another top five, Byron improved his position to the elimination line to +27 and remained in fourth position in the NASCAR playoff standings.
Byron and the No. 24 RAPTOR Chevy team added 15 stage points to the effort as well, steadily improving the car throughout the event's 400.5 miles.
"We improved a lot as the race went on, really, really proud of my guys and the adjustments and just keeping up with the car and the race track," Byron said. "It came down to fuel mileage. Just a bummer because we were scoring a lot of points and in the hunt for the win and then didn't get a chance to fight for it there at the end."
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A relatively smooth race for Byron was a grind for Kyle Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team. Larson fell a lap down during the second stage after getting damage from debris and a pit road adversity but rallied over the course of the race's final 70-lap sprint for an 11th-place finish. Like Byron, Larson is also on the right side of the elimination line, 35 points to the good.
"The first races of each round have not been easy," Larson said. "Proud to get what we could out of the day.
"This wasn't quite great there, the last two runs, but we made the most of it. Could've been a lot worse."
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports' third playoff driver, was the casualty of a crash and finished 33rd. He is eighth in the standings, 53 points below the cut. After being collected on Lap 89, shortly after the start of stage two, the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet team was able to make minimum speed before the DVP (damaged vehicle policy) clock expired. However, an ensuing lengthy stay behind the wall to repair damage resulted in losing 26 laps.
Next week, the Cup Series visits Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race is set for a 2:30 p.m. start and will air on NBC.
NASCAR finishing order at Las Vegas
- Joey Logano, No. 22
- Christopher Bell, No. 20
- Daniel Suarez, No. 99
- William Byron, No. 24 RAPTOR Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Martin Truex Jr., No. 19
- Ross Chastain, No. 1
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11
- John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42
- Chris Buescher, No. 17
- Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23
- Kyle Busch, No. 8
- Corey LaJoie, No. 51
- Harrison Burton, No. 21
- Zane Smith, No. 71
- Justin Haley, No. 7
- Noah Gragson, No. 10
- Daniel Hemric, No. 31
- Michael McDowell, No. 34
- Cody Ware, No. 15
- Ryan Preece, No. 41
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77
- Josh Berry, No. 4
- Erik Jones, No. 43
- Chase Briscoe, No. 14
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47
- Jimmie Johnson, No. 48
- Shane van Gisbergen, No. 16
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54
- Todd Gilliland, No. 38
- Ryan Blaney, No. 12
- Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Austin Cindric, No. 2
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45
- Brad Keselowski, No. 6
- Austin Dillon, No. 3
NASCAR playoff standings after Las Vegas
| Driver | Margin to elimination line | Wins this round |
| 1. Joey Logano | ADV | 1 |
| 2. Christopher Bell | +42 | 0 |
| 3. Kyle Larson | +35 | 0 |
| 4. William Byron | +27 | 0 |
| 5. Denny Hamlin | -27 | 0 |
| 6. Tyler Reddick | -30 | 0 |
| 7. Ryan Blaney | -47 | 0 |
| 8. Chase Elliott | -53 | 0 |