CONCORD, N.C. – William Byron earned another top-five finish in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season at Talladega Superspeedway, claiming second at the 2.66-mile track on Sunday.
A late-race caution that sent the event to overtime gave Byron a chance to line up in the front and contend for the win. His second-place finish extends his streak of top-10 placements this season to eight, the most since Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted eight top-10 results between Talladega in October 2013 and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March 2014.
Chase Elliott placed 24th while Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson finished 38th and 40th, respectively, due to separate crashes knocking them out of the race early.
Brad Keselowski won the race.
Take a look below to see how the Hendrick Motorsports drivers fared at Talladega Superspeedway.
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 40th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Larson started his day at Talladega in 12th but had a water cooling issue with his race car. He headed to pit road on just the second lap. He fell two laps down before heading back out to rejoin the field.
- The No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE headed back to the pits on the sixth lap after engine issues occurred. He placed 40th after he was unable to return to the track.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 24th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Elliott took to the track eighth and quickly moved into third during the second lap. After bouncing around in the top 10, he was running ninth at the competition caution.
- A longer pit stop saw Elliott restack in 25th to resume the rest of Stage 1. Elliott pushed up to ninth by Lap 26. After being pushed out of the pack, Elliott fell back to 22nd on Lap 37. The second caution of the race came out on Lap 40. Electing to stay out, Elliott bumped up to 15th. He picked off drivers with and finished Stage 1 in third.
- Elliott was first for the start of Stage 2 after an efficient stop by his pit crew. At the fuel window on Lap 84, he pitted under green but fell a lap down to the leader since they stayed out, rejoining 26th. The third caution of the day came at Lap 104 and Elliott was sitting in 24th. After getting fuel and tires, Elliott lined up 20th.
- Another caution came out on Lap 119 as Stage 2 ended and Elliott was involved. He finished the stage 27th.
- The Dawsonville, Georgia, native headed to pit road to get the necessary repairs and restarted 14th for Stage 3. Elliott quickly fell back to 24th by Lap 137 but made strides to regain track position. With 38 laps to go, Elliott had made his way to 12th.
- A green flag pit stop saw Elliott fall back to 25th. Another caution came with 16 to go and Elliott was 21st. After fighting through the race’s final caution with four to go, Elliott finished 24th.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 2nd
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Byron took advantage of starting fourth by jumping to the lead by the end of Lap 1. However, he fell out of the pack and dropped to 20th by Lap 14 and was 15th at the competition caution.
- After pitting, Byron reset in fifth. The second caution of the day came on Lap 40, but Byron elected to stay out and restarted seventh. After the green flag waved, Byron jumped up to second with 12 to go in Stage 1. A caution ended the stage and Byron earned points by finishing fifth.
- After heading to pit road and getting new tires and some fuel, Byron restarted Stage 2 in sixth place. Getting a great run on the outside lane, Byron moved into second on Lap 71. Pitting under green, Byron rejoined in 24th. After the rest of the field cycled through, Byron sat in second on Lap 94.
- A caution was out on Lap 104 and Byron had gained the lead. Like before, the stage finished under caution. Byron was involved this time and he ended the stage in 30th.
- After repairing his No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, Byron reset for Stage 3 in 25th. Byron continued to push to the front, sitting 17th after the field cycled through another green-flag pit stop.
- Byron raced his way back into the top 10, running ninth with 19 to go. After another caution with 16 to go, Byron sat seventh. Pitting under caution, he reset for a final push in 10th.
- Byron bounced back and forth with the inside lane but sat ninth as the final caution came out with four to go. After a final push in overtime, Byron finished the race in second.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 38th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Bowman started the race fifth but after unapproved adjustment penalties by the drivers ahead of him, Bowman started on the front row in second place on the inside lane. Falling back after a surge by the outside lane, Bowman fell to 10th by Lap 4 and continued to fall, sitting 17th by the competition caution.
- After grabbing new tires and fuel, Bowman reset in 18th but fell to 30th after falling out of the draft lane with 27 to go. The second caution of the race fell on Lap 40 and Bowman stayed out, boosting him to 13th as the pack restarted. Another caution came out as Stage 1 ended, allowing Bowman to finish seventh.
- Bowman restacked for Stage 2 in fifth. After pitting under green on Lap 84, Bowman rejoined in 26th. After the rest of the pack cycled through pit road, Bowman was in fourth by Lap 94.
- The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE fell to 12th on Lap 99 and sat 11th as another caution came out on Lap 114. Bowman reset in 15th after grabbing fresh tires and fuel under caution. The new tires paid off, shooting Bowman to seventh with seven to go in Stage 2.
- An on-track incident occurred as Stage 2 ended, collecting Bowman. He finished the stage in 26th but the damage was too much to fix by the end of the crash clock. He finished the race 38th.