Byron burned by final yellow at Homestead

William Byron’s least favorite color on Sunday night was yellow.

With 15 laps to go in the NASCAR Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the final yellow flag of the season changed the complexion of Byron’s race. A healthy gap over Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney was erased, setting up a final round of pit stops and an eight-lap dash to the finish.

The No. 24 Valvoline team kept their Hendrick Motorsports driver in the lead off pit road. Byron, however, held it for only one lap after the race restarted. Reddick drove around him through Turns 3 and 4 with seven laps to go.

“Yeah, it was definitely not the best outcome for us,” Byron told RACER after finishing third to Blaney and Reddick. “But it is what it is. It’s racing.”

Byron might have had his second consecutive Cup Series victory had the caution not come out.

“I didn’t think they were going to catch me there [with] the pace I was running and how much more I had to go get and how hard it was to make a pass at that point of the run with older tires,” Byron said. “So, I felt like I was in a comfortable spot there before the caution. But the caution changed everything, and our short run speed was not our strength.

“We really had to defend hard on the short run, and that showed up on that last run.”

Byron led 38 laps to close down the season. Although it wasn't a win, the team earned its seventh top-10 finish in nine races.

It was Byron's third straight top three finish to end the year. In the final two races of the year, Byron earned a win, led 400 laps, and ended up eighth in the standings. Byron had been last in the Chase after the first race of the postseason.

And until the last two weekends, his team had been winless. A high-note conclusion was much-needed for a group that had battled through adversity all season.

“I think it just shows a lot of character and perseverance from everyone,” Byron said. “It never dawned on us to lay down, and we just kept pushing for more. We came to some good tracks for us, too.

“So, if they keep the schedule like this, it’s a good thing. I think [we’ll] keep building and gaining momentum as we go and try to just get a little bit better.”