William Byron’s long rally from a pit-road speeding penalty put the driver of the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in Victory Lane — and left reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier heartbroken. Fresh from the announcement of a four-year contract extension with Hendrick, Byron passed Allgaier for the lead through Turn 4 of the first lap of overtime at Charlotte Motor Speedway and stayed out front until a violent wreck involving Jeb Burton and Brennan Poole brought out the 11th caution of the race and froze the field. By then, Connor Zilisch had taken second and Nick Sanchez third, as Allgaier faded to fourth.
The pivotal moment in the race came well before the finish, when Justin Allgaier, leading under caution on Lap 180 of 205, decided to stay out rather than pit for new tires. Meanwhile, William Byron opted for fresh tires during the caution. A series of subsequent cautions allowed Byron to steadily gain track position through restarts, setting the stage for his comeback win.
Earlier, a pit-road speeding penalty during the Stage 2 break had dropped Byron to the back for the Lap 99 restart. He didn’t return to the front until overtime, ultimately capturing his fifth career Xfinity Series victory and his first at Charlotte Motor Speedway — his home track.
“I was somewhat confident,” Byron said about his comeback chances. “I figured if we got some cautions, we’d be in good shape. But it didn’t go as expected. There were long green-flag runs, and I couldn’t make up ground.” That changed in the final 20 laps.
After a multi-car crash in Turn 1 on Lap 184, Byron restarted in ninth. He gained one spot before another incident involving Katherine Legge and JJ Yeley brought out a caution on Lap 189. On the next restart, Byron surged ahead and was up to third when Brandon Jones hit the outside wall, causing a crash that also involved Leland Honeyman and Kyle Sieg. That 10th caution triggered overtime and allowed Byron to restart behind Allgaier in the inside lane — a key advantage.
Ultimately, Byron’s newer tires proved decisive. “Man, it feels awesome to win at my home track,” he said. “It’s been a while since I won, and it feels great to be back in Victory Lane. I just needed to reach the front rows, and I didn’t get there until the last restart. Justin got a great launch, and I was able to push him, clear the 88 (Zilisch), and finally get some clean air.”
