LONG POND, Pa. – William Byron and the No. 17 HendrickCars.com team recovered from an early issue to finish third in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway.
After starting sixth, Byron was forced to pit at lap 28 of the 90-lap event following a tire failure. To regain track position, crew chief Brandon McSwain chose to stay out while others pitted at the conclusion of stage two, putting his driver in the lead for the restart at lap 47.
The strategy paid dividends, allowing Byron to battle Justin Allgaier and eventual race winner Cole Custer in the closing laps. He also gained valuable knowledge for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race.
“I definitely did learn a lot about the racetrack and the restarts,” said Byron, who led 16 laps on Saturday. “The restarts were fun there at the end. I was able to push (Allgaier) and I felt like I was going to have a chance to pop out there three-wide, and I did, but I just couldn’t carry the entry speed that those guys could into (turn) one.”
In eight Xfinity Series starts in 2024, the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro has scored two wins with four top-five finishes and five top-10s. The third-place effort marked Byron’s best result in three appearances with the team this season.
Byron will start from the outside pole position in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono, which will air live on the USA Network beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET. The radio broadcast can be heard on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.