HAMPTON, Ga. -- After taking the lead before a major storm reached the area of the Atlanta Motor Speedway, William Byron won the Quaker State 400 after it was declared official with 185 of 260 laps complete. Byron's win is his fourth of the 2023 season, the most of any driver in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Byron was among a group of drivers who stayed out under the final caution with severe weather imminent, and he then took the lead from AJ Allmendinger then held off Daniel Suarez before a two-car accident in Turns 3 and 4 brought out the caution.
Rain began to fall under the yellow flag and quickly picked up combined with nearby lightning, leading to the race being called 75 laps short of its scheduled distance.
The strategy that got Byron to the front of the field was influenced by mid-race adversity. After a pit road penalty for a safety violation presented a setback after Stage 1, Byron would go a lap down as a result of a spin on Lap 79 off the bumper of Corey LaJoie. After getting his lap back, Byron was part of a group of 11 cars that stayed out under caution after the end of Stage 2 and gambled that inclement weather would arrive and end the race in a matter of moments.
The gamble paid off for Byron, but it was thanks largely to Byron's efforts in getting to the lead by virtue of his own driving over the final run.
"We went through so much throughout the night -- spinning through the infield, destroyed the bottom of the car dragging it around the apron trying to stay on the lead lap," Byron told NBC Sports. "And at that point you just don't have the grip, so I was real edgy back in traffic. But (crew chief Rudy Fugle) made a good call to pit there and then stay out. And once we got towards the front, it was okay.
"We could honestly make the right decisions, block okay, and got the lead from AJ and just was able to manage the runs. Just a crazy night."
By virtue of his win, Byron has become the new points leader and owns a 21-point advantage over Martin Truex Jr. with seven races remaining in the regular season.
While conditions throughout the day in Atlanta were sunny and hot leading into the night, it became clear early in the race that a storm making its way east toward the speedway would play a major factor. And as the race approached and then passed its halfway point -- making it an official race in the event of inclement weather -- there was a noticeable increase in the intensity of the racing and the urgency throughout the field.
The lead changed hands 18 times among 12 different drivers, with drivers operating both during green and yellow flag conditions as if the race could end at any moment. The impending rain was the single biggest influencing factor in late-race strategy, as a number of drivers ran their cars on the fuel and tires they had as long as they possibly could.
Beyond Byron, no one driver was helped more by the race-ending storm than Michael McDowell. After suffering right front fender damage in a pit road collision following Stage 1, McDowell ran 91 laps to the finish on the tank of fuel he had, with the race-ending caution coming just laps before he was bound to run out of fuel.
That allowed McDowell to finish fourth -- his best finish of the year and his fourth top 10 in the last five races -- moving him to the final spot above the playoff cut line (in a tiebreaker with Suarez, who also jumped back onto the playoff grid) by three points over Bubba Wallace.
Wallace fell below the cut line as a result of the caution that eventually ended the race, as he was collected in a spin by Ryan Preece and relegated to a 25th-place finish. But no playoff bubble driver had a worse night than Ty Gibbs, who would go from three points above the cut line to 26 points below after finishing 34th due to damage sustained in a multi-car wreck on Lap 123.
Another playoff bubble driver left frustrated at night's end was Alex Bowman, who ran up inside the top five and was a factor throughout the night until he got collected in a spin by Denny Hamlin coming off Turn 4 on Lap 155. Bowman would finish 26th, and he now stands 44 points below the cut line.
Sunday night marked an emotional occasion for Kevin Harvick, as he made his final start at the track where he picked up his first career victory -- and a seminal victory in the history of NASCAR -- back in the spring of 2001. During pace laps, Harvick went to the front of the field alongside his old No. 29 Chevrolet, driven by Richard Childress, that he drove to victory in a photo finish that came in only his third Cup start after taking over what had been Dale Earnhardt's car following The Intimidator's death in that year's Daytona 500.
Harvick would add two more Atlanta victories in 2018 and 2020, but a win in his final Atlanta start was not to be. Harvick was among the drivers in the lead pack in the closing laps when he spun following contact with Denny Hamlin, flat-spotting Harvick's tires and forcing him to limp back around to pit road after his spin did not bring out a caution. Harvick would end up finishing four laps down in 30th, somewhat souring the occasion as he enters the second half of his final season.
The NASCAR Cup Series will begin a two-week swing up to the northeast, with the first stop being a trip to New England and the New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Crayon 301 next Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.
NASCAR has declared tonight's race official. William Byron has won the Quaker State 400, giving him his Cup Series-leading fourth win of the 2023 season.
1 - #24 - William Byron
2 - #99 - Daniel Suarez
3 - #16 - A.J. Allmendinger
4 - #34 - Michael McDowell
5 - #8 - Kyle Busch
6 - #6 - Brad Keselowski
7 - #15 - J.J. Yeley
8 - #12 - Ryan Blaney
9 - #31 - Justin Haley
10 - #47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
NASCAR has now issued a severe weather advisory at the track. Lightning is within eight miles of the racetrack.
That would be at least a 30-minute delay, but it's a moot point as a light rain falls and seems to be on the verge of picking up soon.
NASCAR is going to bring the field to pit road this time as rain begins to pick up in the area of the racetrack. Red flag is out.
This is the running order at Lap 185.
1 - #24 - William Byron
2 - #99 - Daniel Suarez
3 - #16 - A.J. Allmendinger
4 - #34 - Michael McDowell
5 - #8 - Kyle Busch
6 - #6 - Brad Keselowski
7 - #15 - J.J. Yeley
8 - #12 - Ryan Blaney
9 - #31 - Justin Haley
10 - #47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
There have been some reports of light rain in certain areas of the racetrack. If there's anyone besides William Byron hoping that the skies open up, it's Michael McDowell and his team. He's almost out of fuel, but if rain ends it here McDowell will be scored in fourth.
Light rain is being reported in Turn 1.
Martin Truex Jr. and Cole Custer have come to pit road.
From the sound of it, McDowell is the only one of the leaders who is on fumes. Daniel Suarez's team has estimated that he still has 30 laps' worth of fuel.
Trouble in Turns 3 and 4! Bubba Wallace and Ryan Preece have gone around and it brings the caution out.
That's going to be a huge break for the cars who were short on fuel, like Michael McDowell who was a couple of laps from running out. The problem for them is that they're going to have to save fuel under caution and hope that the rain hits immediately.
McDowell jumps to the inside of Suarez for second. Can't get it done. Suarez gets a run on Byron but Byron blocks it.
Brad Keselowski is charging back towards the front. He just took Kyle Busch and J.J. Yeley three-wide to move up to fifth.
He'll try to catch the top four as Suarez and Allmendinger go side-by-side for second.
McDowell is now the first car on the inside with J.J. Yeley pushing him! TROUBLE ON THE FRONTSTRETCH!
Kevin Harvick has spun entering Turn 1, but he keeps going and there's no caution as of yet. Harvick is limping on the apron of Turns 1 and 2 but he seems under enough power that he can make it back to pit road.
Here comes Suarez to the inside of Allmendinger for second! Suarez is looking to make it three wins in a row for Trackhouse, but he can't get any drafting help until Michael McDowell comes up to him!
Byron clear to the race lead. Outside line is starting to form single-file. McDowell continues to fall back on the inside.
