The round of 8 of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs began with a bang, as Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing both showed speed and strength at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. That included William Byron and the No. 24 Chevrolet.
Byron showed speed throughout the weekend and certainly appeared to be in prime position to compete for the victory this past Sunday. He eventually slipped behind teammate Kyle Larson with just over 30 laps to go, when the unexpected happened coming off of turn four.
Byron was running at least 180 miles per hour when he slammed into the back end of a slowing Ty Dillon. As it turns out, Dillon was making a very late pit stop, but Byron had no warning and ended up in quite a violent crash.
Byron had no warning, driver etiquette again in question
The quick talking point amongst the broadcast booth was the fact that there was clearly no communication before the crash. As the replays showed Dillon slowing, trying to make it to a very difficult entry to the pit lane, he was still far away from the typical point at which most drivers make their entry.
As for Byron, it's very clear he had no warning. That begged the question: where was the communication?
In racing, it's the spotter's job to let fellow competitors know if and when someone is planning to come into the pits. They aren't alone in that, however, as sometimes the easy step for a driver is to simply wave a hand out the window.
A massive failure to communicate was very clear on Sunday, and it's very concerning moving forward. Dillon was man enough to admit he made a massive mistake in his post-wreck interview, but it doesn't make up for the critical error.
There are still no straight answers as to who deserves the most blame in this instance, but it's something that obviously can't happen. The speed at which Byron hit Dillon was scary, and these are the types of mistakes that can get people hurt. Fortunately, both walked away, but the fact that this happened because no one communicated properly is a far bigger problem.
We've all seen the lack of drivers caring for their fellow competitors over the past several years, but something as simple as waving your hand out the window shouldn't be that hard. And with Dillon running 35th while Byron was poised to end the race above the Championship 4 cut line, it could prove to be a season-altering mistake that ruins a driver's title chances.
What it means for Byron's championship hopes
Clearly, the incident has put Byron in a very difficult situation. He heads to Talladega Superspeedway 15 points below the cut line. Had the wreck with Dillon not happened, he probably would have left Las Vegas roughly 20 points above the cutoff, possibly even locked into the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway with a win.
However, what happened happened, and Byron must now refocus and do whatever he can to try to win at Talladega or Martinsville Speedway. One thing is for sure: a chance at the 2025 championship has gotten muddy for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, who has reached the Championship 4 two years in a row.