William Byron clinched a dramatic win at Iowa Speedway, showcasing exceptional fuel strategy that ultimately decided the outcome. The intense race, held on a sunny Sunday afternoon, tested drivers’ endurance and tactical skills, with Byron’s team navigating significant challenges to emerge victorious. His ability to manage fuel consumption proved decisive in the final laps, edging out fierce competition.
Byron’s Reflections on the Hard-Fought Victory and Team Effort
Byron expressed immense gratitude for his team’s hard work, emphasizing their resilience throughout the season’s struggles.
“Man, how about that for some fuel mileage? We’ve had our fair share of things not go our way with fuel mileage, and just super thankful for Rudy, all these guys, all the engineers, all the engineers back at the shop. Just this whole race team, we’ve been through a lot this year. It’s been a lot of growing pains. It’s been tough on us. But it feels really good today to get a win,”
Byron said.
He highlighted the confidence and preparation that fueled their success:
“Honestly felt like we had a good car and just kind of raced it and just tried to be there at the end, and we were, and luckily the fuel was enough there at the end. I think I ran out right there. That’s why I stopped. … Yeah, I think our confidence in each other never wavered. I feel like our speed has been better than it’s ever been, and that’s a big reason why we stay confident. I feel like every week we work really hard together and show up prepared, show up fast, and yeah, we needed just one to go our way, and today it did. Honestly, (the races) haven’t, but today it did.”
Second Place Chase Briscoe Apologizes for End-Race Incident
Chase Briscoe admitted to making a costly error during the closing stages, apologizing to those impacted.
“First off, just want to apologize to the 45 and 20. That was a really boneheaded move on my part, and got in there and got loose and ruined their day. That’s 100 percent on me.”
Briscoe described his final pursuit of Byron’s lead:
“There at the end, I was running William down. I thought I was really in the catbird seat there, and I just got there and kind of stalled out. I kind of experienced that when I was leading earlier. I caught the back of the field, and same thing; as soon as I got there, I just kind of died. Yeah, unfortunate.”
Despite the setback, Briscoe was optimistic about his Toyota team’s recovery:
“You’re kind of limited where you can go with the repave and everything, but yeah, overall great finish for our Toyota. For us to end up second was a good recovery. Our day kind of got flipped upside down whenever that caution came out and trapped us and was able to rebound. Congrats to William. He did a really good job, and go on to the next one.”
Brad Keselowski Comments on Fuel Strategy and Race Dynamics
Brad Keselowski reflected on how caution periods influenced fuel tactics, which shaped the final results.
“Yeah, this is the way the yellows fell. We had so many yellows there in stage three that it got the 24 and the 19 and where they could make it on fuel, pitting way outside the window. And we just couldn’t get back by them.”
Starting deep in the field, Keselowski managed to climb impressively:
“Got back by a lot of guys. We started 24th there after we pitted. Got way up to third, but that was as far as I could get. Yeah, great run for both of our RFK cars. Obviously we want to win, but we’re in contention. That’s for sure.”
He also noted the competitive environment among teammates and rivals:
“(Ryan) Blaney was really faster than he had a little bit newer tires. He was running us down, so I feel like I was going to get the 19, but Blaney was going to pass me, and it was just a solid day. Just needed a few more things the other way.”
Ryan Blaney Reflects on Late-Race Challenges and Race Pace
Ryan Blaney wished for additional laps to capitalize on his car’s performance late in the race.
“I would have loved to have 20 (more laps). I just restarted a little bit further back than those guys and took me longer to just get in a decent spot you know and honestly it kind of surprised me how hard those guys tanked at the end, and my car kind of kept trucking along.”
He described the difficulty of overtaking on a free track:
“But then I ran Brad down, but everyone’s so free, it’s hard to pass anybody. You’re worried to spin it out, and you’re kind of creeping around the bottom.”
Despite the challenges, Blaney praised his team’s efforts:
“But yeah it was a fun race overall. Really proud of our group for sticking it out. Yeah, really good showing and just trying to keep going. It’s been a good last few weeks for us. So I think the speed is there. Just got to keep putting these races together.”
Ryan Preece Discusses Race Events and Team Performance
Ryan Preece described the race as “eventful,” applauding his RFK teammates for their adjustments and resilience.
“Pretty eventful. So yeah, eventful would be the word of the day. But I am super proud of everybody at RFK. Derrick and the entire group for making solid adjustments having a little bit of luck there when that caution came out and allowed us to kind of take another shot at it. So thanks to RFK.”
He explained the challenges faced on the long run but remained hopeful about future events:
“I thought if we had a bunch of restarts, we were going to be OK because we were so so good in that third lane, but it just seemed like the long run that last run wasn’t the best thing for us. When we were able to get to third, I thought we were going to have a shot at it, and it seemed like we could close in on the 19 and the 24 a little bit, and then I just got loose and when Brad was catching me, I thought of what’s the best thing to do for a teammate in the company. I wanted to give him the opportunity even if it was a deficit for us, but ultimately I look forward to Watkins Glen, Richmond and Daytona. All three of us can still get in, and it’s going to take a lot of perseverance and a lot of luck but we have fast race cars, and we can get the job done.”
Bubba Wallace on Overcoming Adversity to Finish Strong
Bubba Wallace described his day as challenging but praised his team’s ability to fight back after setbacks.
“We had an up and down day. I was ready to just debrief the whole car midrace and figure out what we need to do to just wholesale it. Had our damages, had our issues, and just really fought hard to get our Camry back in the top 10.”
Wallace was pleased with the final result given the circumstances:
“Felt really good firing off and I was a little hesitant on how that was going to last. Here we are P6 after that middle of the race. If you had told me I would finish six, I would have told you, ‘Yeah, right!’ It ran good at the end. So there’s some things to take from there.”
He acknowledged the crew’s work:
“I thought our crew did an amazing job fixing all the repairs. So I said earlier this weekend, we’ve got to expose our weaknesses. And I think we put everybody to the test here today and it’ll be nice to see where we did fall because I didn’t see anything there but just a hell of a team effort all day.”
Alex Bowman Comments on Tire Management and Restart Mistake
Alex Bowman admitted to mismanaging his tires during a critical restart, which affected his race pace.
“I got the right-rear tire really hot on that last restart and hurt myself there. I got a bad restart. We came down in second gear and William really slowed the pace down, but I knew he was in second too so I thought it would be OK.”
He reflected on difficulties navigating race conditions:
“The No. 19 (Chase Briscoe) just hammered him and got him going. I got pinned on the bottom; slid the right-rear a couple of times and got it hot. That was on me. I just need to do a better job there.”
Despite setbacks, Bowman remained proud of his team’s effort:
“But overall, just proud of this No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team. Once this tire seems to get hot, it seems like it just tanks and you can’t really get it back. I just tried to take care of it from then on. Honestly, I needed to just not speed on pit road early in the race. That hurt us, but it was a good day overcoming that.”
Carson Hocevar Highlights Team Resilience Amid Difficulties
Carson Hocevar praised his crew chief and team for their focus and composure in the face of challenges.
“It was just another work of art from Jeff Dickerson, wanting us to fight through adversity and be able to come out with a good result. That’s what he’s preached, and that’s what we’ve been focusing on.”
He described a moment when the team turned things around after trouble:
“We were turned around at one point and just struggling go anywhere. We were just able to reset and regroup. Luke (Lambert, crew chief) did a really good job for this No. 77 Chevrolet team to at least put something on the board and be able to go into next weekend with a little momentum with two top-10s in a row.”
Austin Dillon Thrilled with Top-10 Performance Despite Difficult Conditions
Austin Dillon welcomed the top-10 finish as a positive step given recent struggles.
“Top 10 for our Chevrolet. That feels like a win with the way things have been going. We had a really fast car today. Cautions did not go our way.”
Dillon believed his car had potential for an even stronger result:
“I feel like we have a top-five car for sure if things had played out a bit differently. It was a blast out there and felt good to race up front with those guys and be in contention.”
Ross Chastain Describes Long Race with Changing Strategies
Ross Chastain noted that the lengthy green-flag run combined with bursts of caution influenced varied tactical decisions throughout the field.
“That was a long day. The race went green for so long and then we had bunch of cautions strung together.”
He credited his team for steady progress under challenging circumstances:
“Phil and the guys continued to work on the car all day and we got it better and just kept clicking off spots to finish 11th. We’ll take it and move on to Watkins Glen next weekend.”
Kyle Busch Reflects on Challenges After Backup Car Setup
Kyle Busch faced an uphill battle after switching to a backup car on Saturday, which affected his performance Sunday.
“We started the weekend in a deficit after going to a backup car on Saturday, and spent most of the day Sunday just battling for track position in our Chevrolet.”
Despite strategic decisions:
“Crew chief Randall Burnett made some race strategy calls that got us into the top 10 and earned us some stage points, but we lost that track position in Stage 3 and struggled to return to the front.”
Busch described the difficulty his car had navigating traffic:
“Our Chevy couldn’t turn in traffic, even with the freshest tires and dirty air didn’t help. We busted our behinds out there today but didn’t have enough.”
Shane van Gisbergen on Damage and Ongoing Improvements
Shane van Gisbergen faced adversity after sustaining damage late in the race but praised his team’s efforts to stay competitive.
“We just ran long and I was getting looser and looser. I just made an error and it finally bit me. We were just damaged, but the No. 88 Chevrolet team did a great job repairing it.”
He noted moments of strength despite setbacks:
“They got us back on the lead lap, but it was ultimately too damaged to get a good result. I felt like on most restarts, that’s where we were making our gains. We had good speed and were getting right in the mix.”
Van Gisbergen remained optimistic about ongoing development:
“That’s been a weakness of mine, and I feel like we’re getting better and better every week. We just need to get building on that. It’s not a great result, but there’s a lot of positives that have come out of today.”
Implications of the Iowa Race on Season Progress and Upcoming Events
The outcome of the Iowa Speedway event has significant implications for the playoff landscape and team strategies moving forward. William Byron’s Iowa Speedway win revitalizes his championship hopes and rewards his team’s persistence amid a season marked by challenges. Competitors like Chase Briscoe and Brad Keselowski remain in contention but face a tight battle to advance.
The race underscored the importance of fuel management, track position, and pit strategy, elements that will continue to shape the remaining rounds. The drivers now turn their focus to upcoming tracks at Watkins Glen, Richmond, and Daytona, where consistent speed and adaptability will prove crucial to securing playoff spots and victories. Teams are eagerly analyzing data from Iowa to refine their approaches and maintain momentum in a fiercely competitive series.