William Byron did something Saturday no one driver in NASCAR Cup Series’ 75-year history had accomplished.
Byron captured the coveted starting spot for Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, turning a hot lap of 93.882 mph at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. It marked his fourth pole position at four road courses.
Byron also started on the inside of the front row at Indianapolis Road Course (2021), Road America (2021), and Charlotte Roval (2019).
COTA. Sunday on FOX. pic.twitter.com/2LfWcA1ovz
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 22, 2023
William Byron: ‘Good To Get The Pole’
Byron, who placed P2 during Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at the hilly venue in Austin, Texas, could have started on the Pit Boss 250 pole, but his run was disqualified for exceeding limits at the 20-turn, 3.41-mile track.
The Cup leader with two wins in the opening five races, Byron has already endured “an up and down weekend,” he said, as reported by NASCAR.com.
“In the Cup car, we had a little bit of work to do yesterday, just on overall balance, and we corrected some areas and some areas for me as a driver,” he said. “Good to get the pole, but really tomorrow is what matters.”
Byron, who drives a Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, paced a bevy of top manufacturer finishes. Eight of the top 10 qualifiers Saturday piloted a Chevy.
Tyler Reddick, who drives a Toyota, placed second at 93.783 mph and Ford driver Austin Cindric (93.459 mph) will begin on the inside of the second row.
Road course ace Jordan Taylor, who is subbing for an injured Chase Elliott, surprised most of the field by finishing fourth at 93.174. Taylor has two sports car wins in four starts at COTA.
“It was honestly a full new experience, and yesterday (in practice), I felt like I was out of control 90 percent of the time,” said Taylor, who has two wins and a runner-up in four sports car starts at COTA. “(Saturday), I felt like I knew what the car was doing. (Saturday) felt super smooth, and it felt like I was driving my (sports) car, something super familiar for me.”
How did his truck catch fire following his winning burnout? Zane Smith has a theory: pic.twitter.com/AQ47I379aW
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 25, 2023
Zane Smith Stays Cool Under Pressure
Zane Smith earned a clean checkered flag.
Then, after claiming the Truck Series’ XPEL 225 at COTA for a second straight season, came a fiery Victory Lane.
“It was kind of scary there for a minute,” Smith said during a post-race press conference. “I just covered by black smoke and I could hardly breathe.”
Fortunately, for Smith, he had already exited his No. 38 Ford Truck following his victory burnouts. Celebrating his ninth career win, a fire started on both rear tires next to him.
The flames were doused moments later as the series’ 2022 points champion continued his celebration. Later, he wondered what he was going to tell representatives from Front Row Racing who may want to know what happened to the winning truck.
Smith, who is prepping for a part-time role on the Cup Series,
“I think it was the rubber build-up on the flap and it just caught fire,” he said. “There wasn’t a mark on it all race long. Victory Lane is a different story. I don’t know, I’m probably in trouble after this one. I don’t know how many burnouts I’m going to be allowed to do.”
In four trucks events this season, Smith, the current series points leader, has two wins and a runner-up finish.
Pressured at the end, Smith held off a hard-charging Kyle Busch during the final eight laps. Ty Majeski placed third, Tyler Ankrum fourth and Ross Chastain, who started on the pole, was fifth.
“I was told Kyle was in second, my heart rate went up a little bit,” Smith said, as reported by NASCAR.com. “He‘s so good at managing his stuff when it mattered. So, I just tried not to make any mistakes.”
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