William Byron jumped out to the lead at Darlington after Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain wrecked and held off Kevin Harvick to pick up his third win of the 2023 season on Sunday.
Larson and Chastain battled in the latter part of the final stage, and with a few laps left, the two got loose in the first turn and Chastain got sideways. Larson would be perpendicular to Chastain and the two would drop out of the lead. Chastain wouldn’t finish as his car was towed to the garage.
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William Byron leaves his car after a qualifying lap at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina on May 13, 2023. (David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports)
An emotional Byron revealed to FOX Sports’ Jamie Little that his grandfather passed away earlier in the week.
“It’s pretty amazing,” he said. “My grandad passed away on Thursday and … I wish my family could be here, but things have a way of working out. Honestly, it just worked out that way today. We didn’t have the best third stage. We just kept battling and things kind of just come back around.”
Byron has won the Pennzoil 400 and the United Rentals World 500.
William Byron, driver of the #24 Axalta Throwback Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on May 14, 2023, in Darlington, South Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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In last year’s race, Byron was spun out by Joey Logano with a few laps remaining. Logano picked up the win and Byron finished in 13th. This time around, Byron only needed to let Chastain and Larson get over-aggressive and let chaos happen.
Chastain said after the race that he didn’t mean to turn himself. He said he was trying to squeeze Larson but didn’t mean to crash out.
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Ross Chastain competes at Darlington Raceway on May 14, 2023, in Darlington, South Carolina. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
Harvick, who was involved in a big wreck just a few laps prior to the finish, picked up the No. 2 spot. Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Bubba Wallace rounded out the rest of the top five.
