William Byron addressed Denny Hamlin’s failed bid for the Cup Series title at Phoenix Raceway, sharing his respect for the veteran driver and explaining how his late-race tire failure caught him off guard.
During Sunday’s championship race, Hamlin put on a dominant performance, leading 208 laps and holding the lead on seven separate occasions. He also posted the fastest lap time by the race’s end, positioning himself as a strong contender for the title. However, Hamlin’s race unraveled following a tire failure for Byron with just three laps remaining.
When Hamlin pitted for four fresh tires, Kyle Larson had already left his pit stall with two right-side tires, leaving Hamlin deep in the field on the fifth row and in the bottom lane. The overtime restart did not favor the No. 11 driver, as Larson surged ahead of the final four contenders to secure his first Cup Series championship in the Next Gen Era.
In a post-race interview with NBC Sports, William Byron expressed his sympathies for Hamlin. “Yeah, it stinks, right? Denny was on his way to it. I hate that. There’s a lot of respect there. I obviously do not want to cause a caution. If I had known what tire it was, known that a tire was going down before I got to the corner, I would have done something different. Yeah, you just feel like a passenger. It sucks,” Byron said.
Byron later apologized to Hamlin for bringing out the caution. He was ultimately classified 33rd in the race standings, while Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney won the 319-lap event. Notably, the race marked Byron’s second consecutive front-row start.
### William Byron Details His Tire Failure
Byron provided more insight into his tire failure and shared his regret over how the incident affected the race outcome at Phoenix. The No. 24 driver recalled sensing something was off in the final laps but hoped to finish without issues.
“I don’t know, three laps to go, I’m thinking, ‘Let me get to the end.’ I felt something funny off of two, thought it might be a flat. I thought at the time if it’s left rear, you can kind of get back. It just went straight into three. Laid down on the right rear, went straight,” Byron explained.
Interestingly, all four title contenders experienced flat tires during the race. This was largely attributed to most teams opting for air pressures well below the recommended levels specified by Goodyear.
Hamlin himself contended with clutch issues during the race, the latest in a series of mechanical setbacks that have challenged the No. 11 team throughout the season.
### Byron’s Season Recap
William Byron capped off his season with a fourth-place finish in the driver standings. Over the course of the year, the Hendrick Motorsports driver secured three wins, 11 top-5 finishes, and 16 top-10s, with an average finish of 14.5 — a strong showing as he continues to build his career in the Cup Series.
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