NEWS

 

DATE: MARCH 21, 2021

TRACK: ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

SPECS: 1.5-MILE OVAL

START: 9th

FINISH: 8th

RANK: 8th (-89 POINTS)

 

 

 

Starting Sunday’s race from the ninth position in the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Atlanta Motor Speedway due to the qualifying metric, William Byron quickly jumped up within the top-five running order at the drop of the green flag. Taking over the fourth spot, Byron maintained his position until the competition caution came out on Lap 25. Under the yellow, the 23-year-old driver reported that he needed more turn from the car before ultimately coming down pit road for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. Restarting 10th when the field went back to green, Byron once again picked up positions early, taking over eighth. As a long green-flag run ensued, crew chief Rudy Fugle called the driver of the No. 24 down pit road under green on Lap 66 for four tires, fuel and another chassis adjustment. Once green-flag stops had cycled through, Byron was scored in the 10th position, which he maintained until the end of Stage One. Still lacking lateral side grip, Byron came down pit road under the stage break for four tires, fuel and another round of chassis adjustments. 

Restarting seventh for the start of Stage Two, Byron maneuvered his way to fourth just as the yellow flag was displayed. Electing to take the high lane for the upcoming restart, Byron started second but ultimately was stuck in the middle of three-wide. Settling into the fifth position, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native maintained his top-five effort until green-flag pit stops began halfway through the second stage. Liking the last set of adjustments, Byron came to the attention of his Liberty University team for four tires, fuel and a minor chassis adjustment. Once pit stops cycled through fully, Byron was scored in the sixth position. In the closing laps of Stage Two, Byron was able to make the pass to re-enter the top-five, finishing Stage Two in fifth and collecting stage points. Happier with the handling of his No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, Byron came back down pit road under the stage break for four tires and fuel. 

When the final stage went green, Byron elected to take the high line but struggled to find the grip he needed. With the caution flag coming out just a few laps later, Byron came down pit road for four tires and fuel before rejoining the field and lining up seventh. Fighting a now loose No. 24 Liberty University Chevy, Byron slid back to just outside the top 10 but began regaining those positions the longer the run went on. Using pit strategy, Fugle had his driver come down pit road early in their pit window under green on Lap 265 for four tires, fuel and a final chassis adjustment. Once green-flag pit stops cycled through, Byron found himself running eighth and maintained his position until he crossed the finish line – scoring his fourth consecutive top-10 result in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.

QUOTING WILLIAM BYRON

“It was a decent day for the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet team. We were up around the top-five for most of the day and just had a bad final run. A bad restart got us back there and we just never could really recover. We managed an eighth-place finish, which is decent, but we definitely want a lot more than that. We’ll go to work and figure out where we can improve so we can get better for the next one.”

 

 

TRACK: BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY - DIRT
DATE: SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2021
TIME: 3:30 P.M. ET
TUNE-IN: FOX, SIRIUSXM, PRN RADIO