NASCAR Takeaways: Daytona 500 Winner William Byron Snaps Drought At Iowa

NASCAR Takeaways: William Byron Breaks Winless Streak at Iowa

Published Aug. 3, 2025 9:43 p.m. ET

NEWTON, Iowa — William Byron ended a 21-race winless streak on Sunday afternoon. While a 21-race drought isn’t cause for major concern, considering his last victory was the prestigious Daytona 500, one could wonder what might have been going wrong for him. The Hendrick Motorsports driver skillfully managed his fuel to secure the win, especially after pitting with 144 laps left at Iowa Speedway. Aware that he could only run between 110 to 115 green-flag laps, Byron capitalized on 50 laps of caution during those final 144 laps on the 0.875-mile oval.

In victory lane, Byron celebrated with corn after claiming the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350. “We needed to win a race,” Byron shared. “I believe we deserved this win based on how we’ve performed all year; it just wasn’t happening. I felt like we had to learn to correctly execute everything, yet it still didn’t quite go our way. ending card This victory feels like a significant relief, and it will boost our team’s momentum.” Winning a fuel-mileage race potentially exorcised some past demons for Byron and his crew, who previously saw a few possible victories disappear after running out of gas late in summer races.

Byron, who had previously won in NASCAR’s truck and Xfinity series at this particular track, finished second in the inaugural Cup race at Iowa last year. Here are some takeaways from a race where Byron crossed the finish line ahead of Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, and Ryan Preece.

Byron Returns to the Top of Standings

Following this victory, Byron moved from four points behind teammate Chase Elliott at the top of the series point standings to 18 points ahead and 45 points ahead of teammate Kyle Larson. With three races remaining in the regular season (Watkins Glen, Richmond, and Daytona), the regular-season champion earns 15 additional playoff points, with second worth 10 and third worth eight. These playoff points enhance a driver’s chances of advancing in the playoffs, even if they don’t secure a win during the three-race playoff rounds.

“I respect my teammates a lot,” Byron said. “We learn a great deal from each other. Though we each have our unique driving styles, we’ve all adapted to drive this car effectively. It’s rewarding to see us compete and I hope our team can perform well in the upcoming weeks farlight 84 top-up philippines.” Currently, there are three playoff spots available for drivers without wins. Tyler Reddick holds a 122-point advantage over the cutoff, while Alex Bowman (+63) and Chris Buescher (+23) are positioned inside the playoff bubble, leaving Ryan Preece (-23) on the outside looking in.

Keselowski Comes Up Short

Brad Keselowski requires a win to secure a playoff spot and appeared to be in a favorable position midway through the race. However, due to all the caution flags, his pit strategy didn’t yield the expected results as he needed longer runs. He finished third after leading 68 laps during the day. gypsum putty boysen “When you’re stuck in traffic, you have to push the car harder. By the end, everyone’s tires were practically ruined from battling in traffic,” Keselowski lamented. “The caution sequences and how the race unfolded were not advantageous for us.”

Keselowski expressed frustration, stating, “The wrecks altered the race dynamics. It was chaotic out there today.” He added, “It shifted towards alternate strategies winning the race. I’ve had my own run-ins, so I’m not one to talk, but I can’t comprehend why some guys wreck for 20th place. It doesn’t make sense.”

Briscoe Backs Up His Pole

Chase Briscoe claimed his sixth pole of the season. However, in his last three races where he started from the front, he finished 17th, 23rd, and 18th bj pascual. In this race, he backed up his speed in qualifying by leading 81 laps and finishing second, marking his best finish of the season from a pole position. Briscoe explained, “Once I caught up to Byron, he started affecting my air, and my car slowed down almost immediately nba finals winners. I thought I could still keep up, especially when he encountered lapped traffic, but I just didn’t have enough.”

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. With decades of experience in motorsports, including more than 30 Daytona 500s, he has worked at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine, and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.

What are your thoughts on Byron’s impressive comeback and its implications for the upcoming races?