William Byron dominated Chicagoland’s early laps but couldn’t match Toyota’s closing speed. In NASCAR’s return to the 1.5-mile track for the eero 400, the Hendrick Motorsports star led for 94 laps but couldn’t match Toyota’s closing speed, finishing fourth behind race winner Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, and Denny Hamlin. He expressed frustration after the race.

“I don’t know. I mean, those guys were just fast. Even when I was leading, they could just stay kind of right with me, and everything had to be perfect. Yeah, ultimately we got jumped there on the cycle.

“But it’s hard to know, they have the advantage of kind of being second and being able to do that. So, I don’t know, I feel like if I was perfect that last round, I could have gotten a little closer and just didn’t have the pace they had. You know, I don’t know, I think that was kind of pretty maxed out for us. They just eventually got clean air; it was hard to defend.”

Toyota is just in a league of its own, and Byron learnt that the hard way—a reality check for Chevrolet teams this season. Sunday at Chicagoland belonged to Joe Gibbs Racing, which grabbed the top three spots and showed its might. With their raw speed, the Toyotas have dominated on the intermediate tracks. Even with the lead, William Byron admits Toyota’s speed would have prevailed.

“It was, but I think, you know, ultimately, he pulled away from me in that run anyways. I got close with probably 10 to go, and then Bell was super fast, and Denny as well. So, I don’t think I would have, even if I had the lead, who knows, but I don’t know, those guys were quick the last few rounds.”

For Chevrolet, the worry is growing fast. Byron is still safely inside the playoff picture. However, Hendrick Motorsports knows that running well early in a race will not be enough to win a championship. They have to match Toyota’s speed at the very end of the race.

Can Chevrolet close the gap before the playoffs?

“I think we are starting to gain, I mean, I think. Honestly, the car, it makes a lot more sense now, the way the car feels,” Byron said optimistically. “So, yeah, I don’t know, the last two oval races we’ve had a shot to win. Here and Pocono, we have been top 4. So, yeah, we just got to keep inching up on it and hopefully find a little bit.”

With several oval races coming up, Byron knows his team must take advantage and make the most of them.

“Oh, for sure, yeah. We’re there now, especially on the amount of half tracks. I think the other tracks we could get a little better, so we still have some room to work there. But overall, yeah, this is definitely what we need.”

Byron’s next NASCAR Cup Series race is at Atlanta Motor Speedway on July 12, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.