William Byron took the lead at Darlington after Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain collided and held off Kevin Harvick for 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 remaining, the two got loose at the first turn and Chastain went wide. Larson would be perpendicular to Chastain and the two would lose the lead. Chastain was unable to 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 grandfather passed away on Thursday and… I wish my family could be here, but things have a way of working out. Honestly, it worked out that way today. We didn’t have the best third leg. We just kept fighting.» and things just come back.»
Byron has won the Pennzoil 400 and the United Rentals World 500.
William Byron, driver of the #24 Chevrolet Axalta Throwback, 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, Joey Logano spun Byron with just a few laps remaining. Logano took the win and Byron finished in 13th place. This time Byron just needed to let Chastain and Larson get too aggressive and let chaos happen.
Chastain said after the race that he had no intention of turning around. He said that he was trying to squeeze Larson, but that he did not intend to crash.
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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 huge crash just a few laps before the end, took second place. Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Bubba Wallace rounded out the rest of the top five.