William Byron discloses why he apologized to Denny Hamlin after Phoenix heartbreak

William Byron took responsibility for the late-race caution that derailed Denny Hamlin's title bid at Phoenix Raceway. The No.24 driver had personally apologised to Hamlin during the post-race interviews.

Byron began on the first row alongside polesitter Hamlin, but the No.24 driver couldn't match the latter's pace. Although Byron led 52 laps, he struggled to compete with Hamlin's mammoth 208-lap lead.

With three laps left, Hamlin was nearly three seconds ahead of Byron and was poised for the win, but the HMS driver endured a tire failure and slammed into the wall, resulting in a caution that took the field to overtime. Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney took two right-side tires, while Hamlin replaced all four sets. This had him tenth in the running order and in a massive deficit to Larson.

After the green-white-checkered waved, Hamlin couldn't muster more than sixth, while Larson finished ahead of him and secured the championship without leading a single lap.

NASCAR reporter Jeff Gluck later shared an interaction between Byron and Hamlin in the media center, where the former apologised for the caution. When asked about the same, William Byron said,

"It just doesn't seem right, you know? He had beat us and we're running second and it's four laps to go and you go into the wall and cause a caution. I don't want to be that guy. That sucks."

William Byron was marked 33rd after the whole ordeal.

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William Byron reflects on the day's turn of events

Willliam Byron wasn't pleased with the final moments of the championship race. Nonetheless, he tipped his hat to Kyle Larson and Rick Hendrick for nabbing the title.

"I’m just super bummed that it was a caution obviously," he said, "I hate that. Hate it for Denny. I hate it for the 11 team." "I’m happy for Kyle, for Mr. Hendrick, they deserve it. Yeah, it stinks, right? I don’t know, three laps to go, I’m thinking, Let me get to the end. I felt something funny off of two, thought it might be a flat. I thought at the time if it’s left rear, you can kind of get back. It just went straight into three. Laid down on the right rear, went straight. I hate that," William Byron added (via Speedwaydigest)

Denny Hamlin, on his part, congragulated Larson, but asserted himself as the 'best' driver of the day. After all was said and done, the No.11 driver still held the fastest laptime of 27.57 seconds. Moreover, Hamlin had to overcome a faulty clutch and a flat tire during the 319-lap event.

Ryan Blaney, meanwhile, won the race with a 20-lap lead to his name, as Brad Keselowski narrowly finished behind in second.

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Edited by Vignesh Kanna