CONCORD, N.C. - On paper, Sunday afternoon's result was the worst finish for William Byron since the Round of 12 began at Kansas Speedway.
But that doesn't tell the whole story. Not even a little bit.
Byron's consistency has been on full display during the playoffs, specifically after escaping the Round of 16. From then on, the No. 24 team has finished second, third, third again, fourth and finally, sixth this past weekend. Coming into Miami, his 67 stage points earned were the most of the remaining playoff drivers.
Overall, Byron's three victories and consistent finishes had been enough to get his team into the Round of 8. But moving forward would require this form to continue, especially after Joey Logano's victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway nearly flipped the playoff standings upside down
RELATED: Twenty years later, Hendrick Motorsports honors and reflects
Come Saturday, the streak seemed to already be in jeopardy. Even though the group was quick in practice, Byron earned the 25th starting position. In a year where stage points have played an extremely important role, the team seemed to be in danger of missing out in the opening segment.
Once the race began, Byron threw caution to the wind and quickly moved his way through the pack. In 32 laps, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native had gone from 25th to the 11th position. After green-flag pit stops cycled out, Byron held the seventh spot before the caution flag came out. Following the restart, he would settle for eighth, an impressive stage one result considering his starting position.
For the second stage, solid work on pit road and more passes under the green flag saw Byron run constantly inside the top 10, finishing two spots better than stage one. Ultimately, the No. 24 team ended the day with another solid run and finished sixth by the end of the main event.
RELATED: Byron makes 250th start at Homestead
Although the consistent marks have been noticeable in recent weeks, Byron knows it's going to take just a little bit more to fight for a title in two weeks. He expressed these thoughts on pit road after 400 laps.
"We kind of had what we had today," Byron said after the race. "We weren’t good enough, and we were just trying to get all we could. I feel like a sixth-place finish is good. If it had gone green there, we were going to end up top-five. I don’t know how that changes the points, but we just have to go to Martinsville Speedway and compete for a win.”
Now entering the final elimination race of the year, sitting above the cutline might be a time to race with points in mind. Heading into Martinsville, this weekend, Byron holds a two-point cushion over teammate Kyle Larson for the final transfer spot. However, when asked if Martinsville was a winnable race for the team, Byron responded with confidence.
"Absolutely," said Byron. "We did it in the spring, so we should be able to.”
If that past is any indication of future success, fans of the No. 24 should be thrilled the cutoff race takes place at Martinsville. The 26-year-old driver has two grandfather clocks (2022 and 2024) and has led 300 laps at "The Paperclip" in the Next Gen era.
Catch Sunday afternoon's NASCAR Cup Series main event from Martinsville at 2 p.m. ET with coverage on NBC, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).