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Darlington, SC – While Denny Hamlin celebrated his Darlington victory on Sunday, the feeling of the further pit road was very different.
“Just suck,” says William Byron, who led the first 243 rounds before finishing second. “It will stab to be so close.”
“It stitches,” said Ryan Blaney, who lost the lead on Pit Road before the overtime restart and finish fifth. “I really wanted to win here.”
He seized the lead on the final pit stop under yellow.
Instead, it was Hamlin who won the fifth time on this track and 56th time in his cup career. And he did it without the best car.
“I told the team, the crew head, I said I didn’t offend when I looked out and said we probably had a car in eighth place,” Hamlin said.
It will not make BYRON or Blaney feel better.
It would be understandable if Byron became the first manager in 2000 since Jeff Burton became in New Hampshire to lead more than 210 rounds to open a cup of cup.
The race winner thanks his well staff and a participant after his second consecutive victory.
Byron did this by winning the pole and utilizing the track position. Darlington’s unique form provides a closer groove than very large cuts, so the cut position is critical. Walk in front of clean air and life is good. Running in the suit and life can be miserable.
Byron stayed in the lead and got a break when a caution for debris interrupted a green flag pit cycle at LAP 139 of the 293 Round race. Byron was among about a dozen cars that had not yet to peck. This enabled him to maintain control of the race.
Things changed when Tyler Reddick was placed under Green 240 on the lap. He was one of the first drivers to put in that green-flag cycle and came four rounds in front of Byron.
After the cycle ended, Reddick had a six -second lead on Christopher Bell and a 6.2 -second lead on Byron due to the faster rounds on the new tires when Bell and Reddick had not yet had to peck.
“We knew Tyler was going to beat us (on the cycle),” says Rudy Fugle, Crew Chief of Byron. ‘But with four-round (fresh tires) and when we get out where we are supposed to get out, I think things are going well. It just didn’t work out. It’s chasing. Everything comes down to the execution. ‘
Byron said: “We lost a few places on that green flag series and that was the difference. At that time had a good decent run.
This is his 56th career victory, which placed him in the eleventh possession on the everyday winning list.
Then came Blaney.
He had one of the better cars, but something always happened to him on Sunday.
“Just a day where nothing really has our way,” he said.
A debris carefully at LAP 139 of the 293-Round race interrupted a green-flag pit cycle. Blaney and Reddick pitched, so they were not caught like others, but they were behind all the people who still had to hit and lost the position. Blaney worked his way to fourth place to end the second phase, but lost 12 places with a slow pit stop after the stage ended.
In the last phase, he placed two rounds to Byron in the green-flag cycle (Hamlin also put that shot). With fresh tires, Blaney became stronger as the run went, and took the lead on Lap 291 from Reddick. But a warning to Kyle Larson’s incident sent the race in overtime.
Hamlin’s pit staff came out first and set him up to win.
Byron went out third Pit Road; Blaney fourth.
“I had a wonderful pit stop at the end and could stand on the second row,” Byron said. “Just need the front row to win here.”
Blaney said: “lost the lead on Pit Road, lost the leading place. Never had a shot (afterwards).”
