It was a fitting end to a chaotic, thrilling race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
It was a reconfigured track with steeper banking and new pavement that fulfilled all those who predicted it would result in frenzied pack racing at speeds comparable to those at Talladega or Daytona.
"Pretty wild," Byron declared. "I'm out-of-breath. It was insane.
There were 47 lead changes between an Atlanta-record twenty drivers. The traffic jam at the front of cars was horrendous, with wrecks taking out many top contenders and leaving behind a lot of broken-up race cars for the team to haul home.
With 13 laps remaining, Bryon led the final restart. Bubba Wallace briefly occupied the top spot but was quickly beaten by Byron.
Wallace seemed to still be in the most desirable position, especially if they could push him for a slingshot at the end. Everyone behind Byron began to jostle for position, each of them eager to be in the winning position.
This worked perfectly for Byron who won by 0.145 seconds over Ross Chastain. Wallace was the last wreck of the day.
One last twist: Christopher Bell crossed the line second. However, NASCAR punished him for not crossing the double white line at the backstretch on the lap to pass Chastain. Bell was moved to 23rd.
Chastain made a remarkable comeback after blowing his tire while leading the race. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also lost a tire while leading the race. Kyle Larson, reigning series champion, was at the front of his No. The No. 5 Chevrolet was taped and had just lost the top spot. Denny Hamlin, the reigning series champion, bumped him from the behind to give him a push, only to send them into a spin that wiped them both out.
Ryan Blaney stated during a cautionary period that "Everyone is kinda hanging on for dearlife".
This sums up everything.
BASH BROTHERS
After Chastain's crash early, another wreck wiped out both Dillon brothers.
Austin Dillon was given a slight bump by Kyle Busch as he entered the quad-oval. Dillon fell into the wall. Chase Briscoe and Ty Dillon spun behind them, causing major damage to Dillon's younger brother.
Both brothers had to retire. Austin finished 35th and Ty 36th.
Austin Dillon stated, "I was in full gas and the 18 (Busch), pushed us and got us loose." "It's not fair. My feelings are hurt. This is the second consecutive week I have been kicked out.
Phoenix: Daniel Suarez, who made contact with Dillon during the final lap, sent the No. He was unable to finish in the top-10 because he ran 3 into the wall.
ENDS AND ODDS
Byron won Stage 1 under yellow. Blaney also won Stage 1. During a pit stop, Bell hit his jack man on the right leg. After completing the change, the crewman was taken to the infield medical center. Bell was not able to be present at the time, so another crewman took over Bell's stops. ... Harrison Burton and Brad Keselowski had to start at the back of the field. Keselowski was penalized after he made changes to his vehicle, while Burton failed inspection. ... Only 37 people entered, three fewer than the full field. ... After years of struggle with attendance, a promising crowd gathered in Atlanta on a sunny afternoon with temperatures nearing 70 degrees. While the infield was packed, the vast grandstands had a few empty seats. NASCAR will be returning to Atlanta on July 11.
UP NEXT
The Cup series will head to Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas for the first of six road races in this season's Cup series. Chase Elliott won the inaugural COTA Race one year ago.
