“It Was a Game of Chicken”: William Byron Sparks New Rivalry With Teammate Kyle Larson After Describing the Crazy Last Lap Scenario at Phoenix

William Byron registered a late dramatic victory at the Phoenix Raceway on Sunday. Racing in his final season before retirement, Kevin Harvick looked on course to victory lane until the caution came into play. Byron seized his opportunity and recorded his second consecutive win in the NASCAR Cup Series. While it is great news for Hendrick Motorsports, something slightly more interesting went on between Byron and his teammate Kyle Larson.

Both the Hendrick Motorsports drivers looked untouchable until Harvick drove past them with 44 laps remaining. But it was in the two laps of the over-time that the duo challenged each other intensely. What happened next was later explained in detail by Byron.

William Byron and Kyle Larson establish a new rivalry after a late drama in Phoenix

The over-time saw both Byron and Larson strongly compete, so much so that they were close to wrecking each other. Speaking at the press conference after the race, Byron was asked if the chances of wrecking concerned him during the race. To this, Byron said, “Yeah, I mean, in my situation having a win, him not having a win yet, like, I assumed he would be more aggressive.”

William Byron Has His Leg Pulled by Hendrick Motorsports Teammate After His NASCAR Win in Vegas

He added, “But my counter was that I got a win, I’m going to do whatever I can, too. It was a game of chicken a little bit…Yeah, I don’t know how to answer that. I wasn’t really thinking through that situation. I was just kind of going wherever he was, trying to be a little bit better.”