Sixth-place finish at Phoenix both disappointing and uplifting for William Byron

William Byron's day in the Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix was one of both disappointment and resilience. 

After winning the pole on Saturday, Byron was fast from the drop of the green flag on Sunday. After winning Stage 1, he finished third and Stage 2 and was running up front during the final cycle of green flag pit stops on Lap 266. 

Unfortunately for Byron, Bubba Wallace hit the wall to bring out the yellow flag while Byron was still on pit road. With Byron having been passed by the leader while on pit road, he was trapped one lap down and forced to take the wave-around prior to the restart. 

All of a sudden, one of the fastest cars all afternoon was trapped at the tail end of the field. 

The long line of cars in front of him didn't deter Byron, however. By Lap 283, Byron was up to ninth. 

When the final caution flag flew, it gave Byron one final opportunity to gain spots during a two-lap mad dash to the checkered flag. He crossed the line in sixth on a day where he led 83 laps and had an average running position of 3.76. 

What once seemed like a surefire top-five day or a potential win fell by the wayside, but Byron and the No. 24 team fought back to earn a good result. Byron has three top-10 finishes over the first four races of 2025.