William Byron probably didn’t expect the NASCAR playoffs to start like this.
And honestly, neither did anyone else.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver entered the Chase as one of the championship favorites. Then Darlington happened.
Byron finished 37th.
That’s not a typo.
His night went sideways after an engine problem with just 48 laps remaining, turning what looked like an important playoff opener into a complete disaster.
And now the pressure starts.
The new Chase format leaves plenty of time to recover, but there is absolutely no reason to pretend this was anything other than a brutal opening blow.
Especially because Byron isn’t some random playoff driver.
He’s a Hendrick driver.
He’s one of the guys everybody expects to be fighting for the championship.
And while Christopher Bell celebrated a massive victory and jumped all the way to second in the standings, Byron suddenly has work to do.
That’s what makes the timing so brutal.
The championship fight has barely started.
But William Byron already has a problem.
And the rest of the garage just watched it happen.