In the build-up to the Cup Series race at Bristol, William Byron was right on the elimination bubble. However, he managed to rally forward and sneak into the next round. He stormed up the order to finish in a fine third place, which rocketed him up to eigth place in the championship standings. In other words, he is safe from the elimination zone for a while.

Speaking after the race, he said, “I just felt like ‘Man! We need to get the best result we can tonight’. All of a sudden, we’re in the Top 5 and competing for more spots. Just felt like we were really close to even winning the race. I was like, ‘Man! Now I’m really in the hunt for the win’. However, I had to be smart and aggressive to kind of hold off the guys behind me.

“Those last 50 laps, I didn’t breathe, so it’s pretty crazy.”

William Byron talked about how it compared to his first win

In addition to that, the #24 driver spoke about how this result stacks up against his maiden Cup Series win. He confessed that his first win came in a similar manner when he fought in this race. As a result, William Byron has clubbed both races together in terms of their importance.

In the end, this race in Bristol was a real battle for him. Now, he will be looking ahead to the coming race weekend at Las Vegas. The Vegas race marks the opening race of the second round of the Playoffs. He and teammate Alex Bowman barely squeaked through to this round. So, they know that they cannot afford any more mistakes. Byron is aware that the competition will be a lot tougher, so he needs to pull out all the stops.

READ MORE: Why William Byron is Just Looking to ‘Have Fun’ Heading into Crunch Playoff Time