Byron out to validate Hendrick's strong start
Back-to-back wins haven't stopped William Byron from believing he and his Hendrick Motorsports team have a lot to prove in Sunday's NASCAR stop in Atlanta.
In fact, Byron said Saturday, there's even more on the line. Drivers of the Hendrick Chevrolets want to show the strong start to the season is not the result of illegally manipulating NASCAR's rules.
NASCAR slammed Hendrick Motorsports on Wednesday with the largest combined fine on one team in series history for allegedly modifying louvers, which direct air through the hoods of cars. The penalty included a combined $400,000 in fines — $100,000 to each of its four crew chiefs — plus four-race suspensions for the crew chiefs — Byron's, Kyle Larson's and Alex Bowman's included.
Those suspensions begin with today's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Hendrick is appealing the penalties, which also affected the drivers by losing 100 regular-season points and 10 playoffs points.
Asked if the penalties provide more motivation for the team this week, Byron said: “Absolutely. I really get excited about coming to the race track right now.
“If anything it just shows that we're not there yet and we have more to prove and we have more to accomplish. That's a dangerous thing, right?”
Byron qualified 11th on Saturday, while Ford drivers, led by Joey Logano, took the top eight spots. Larson qualified ninth and Bowman was 15th.
Byron won last year's spring race in Atlanta while Hendrick teammate and home-state favorite Chase Elliott was the winner in July. Josh Berry, 21st in qualifying on Saturday, is the fill-in driver while Elliott recovers from a broken tibia suffered while snowboarding in Colorado last month.
Byron took advantage of a restart to beat Larson at Phoenix Raceway last week, following his win one week earlier at Las Vegas.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Austin Hill continued his dominant start to the NASCAR Xfinity season, holding off Daniel Hemric at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday night for his third win in five races.
Hill overcome a record-setting day of cautions in doubleheader Xfinity and truck series races. There were 11 cautions, the most for an Xfinity race in Atlanta.
Hill previously collected Xfinity wins at Daytona on Feb. 18 to open the season and at Las Vegas on March 4. Hill, a native of Winston, Georgia, added a home-track win to his strong start.
One of the cautions led a frustrated Josh Williams to make an unusual exit in the first stage, leaving his car parked on the start-finish line for dramatic effect.
Four cautions in the first stage covered 26 of 40 laps, including a final yellow after debris came off Williams' No. 92 Chevrolet and he was ordered by NASCAR to park his vehicle.
A frustrated Williams followed, but on his terms. He parked his car on the checkered start-finish line, climbed out and walked toward his pit crew with a wave to the fans, apparently delivered with sarcasm.
Before exiting his car, Williams angrily complained to his crew on his radio it was “apparently” NASCAR regulations to park your vehicle following a wreck “of any kind.” Added Williams: “This is some bull you know what. I've never heard of this in my life.”
Williams was taken to the infield care center and then escorted to his team hauler without speaking to reporters.
The final caution came with eight laps remaining and Hill holding a slim lead over Parker Kligerman in a battle of Chevrolets. The race resumed with two laps remaining and Hill held on as Kligerman wrecked before the finish line and finished fourth. Ryan Truex was third.
NASCAR Truck Series
Christian Eckes finished where he started Saturday's Fr8 208 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway
— with a lot of turmoil in between.
Eckes claimed his second victory in the series in overtime, choosing the bottom lane and front-row position for a restart on lap 136 of 137.
After leading the first 30-lap stage of the race wire-to-wire, however, Eckes sped on pit road and lost track position. He spent the rest of the event working his way back to the front.
In a race that featured a record 11 cautions for 58 laps, the driver of the No. 19 Chevrolet restarted 13th on Lap 103, but three yellow flags later, he was on the inside of the front row beside leader and ultimate runner-up finisher Nick Sanchez for the overtime restart.
Eckes surged ahead, took the white flag in the lead and was out front when NASCAR called the final caution of the race for a wreck in Turn 4 involving Tyler Ankrum, Stewart Friesen and defending series champion Zane Smith.
Formula One
Sergio Perez stepped up for Red Bull to ensure the team started from the pole at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after a mechanical issue sidelined two-time defending world champion Max Verstappen.
Verstappen was fastest in all three practice sessions at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit but his qualifying effort was cut short Saturday when he radioed “I have a problem. Engine, engine problem,” during the second session. The Dutchman drove to the pits, where a driveshaft issue was discovered, and Verstappen's qualifying effort was over.
It left Perez as the lone Red Bull representative in the final round of qualifying and he went on to win pole for the second consecutive year — the only two poles of his career.