William Byron’s New Hampshire race appeared to be unfolding exactly as Hendrick Motorsports needed. The No. 24 Chevrolet was running near the front and collecting valuable points before an earlier caution reshuffled the field. But after a pit stop, Byron sensed something was wrong. His warning went back to the team. Yet the confidence from the pit box proved misplaced. Just a few laps later, HMS paid a heavy price.

“The f****** wheel came off.” “The left rear from a long time ago.”

William Byron’s frustration over the radio summed up a disastrous moment for Hendrick Motorsports at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The incident came on Lap 233, just eight laps after Riley Herbst’s crash in Turns 3 and 4 brought out the caution. Herbst had made contact with Michael McDowell before Connor Zilisch also became involved, forcing the field to slow down.

Several drivers took the opportunity to pit, including Byron. The Hendrick Motorsports driver had been running inside the top five when he brought his No. 24 Chevrolet down pit road. However, something did not feel right when he returned to the track on Lap 227.

Byron alerted his team that he was concerned about the car. The crew, however, believed everything had been secured properly. It wasn’t. Six laps later, Byron was running fourth when the left-rear wheel came off in Turn 3.

Without the wheel properly attached, the No. 24 Chevrolet immediately became uncontrollable and slammed into the outside wall. A promising afternoon disappeared in seconds.

Byron was forced into the garage and is now running five laps down. This left Hendrick Motorsports to deal with the consequences of what should have been a routine pit stop.

The situation is particularly painful because Byron had already done the difficult part. He had put himself in position to score a strong finish and potentially gain ground in the standings. Instead, a tire-and-wheel safety violation has now created an even bigger problem for the organization.

NASCAR will likely hand down a two-lap penalty, while two crew members from the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 team will also face two-race suspensions. The violation falls under Section 8.8.10.4.C of the NASCAR Rule Book, covering the “loss or separation of an improperly installed tire/wheel from the vehicle during the event.”

The timing could hardly be worse for Byron. He entered the race sitting 12th in the standings, with Austin Cindric, Shane van Gisbergen, Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suárez all fighting around him for Chase positioning.

Wallace had already shown his strength by finishing third in Stage 2, adding valuable points to his tally. That makes every lost point increasingly important. Byron trusted his instincts enough to tell the team something wasn’t right.

Unfortunately for Hendrick Motorsports, the response from the pit box suggested everything was fine. The wheel coming off proved otherwise.