Denny Hamlin wasn’t the only driver who fell short at Phoenix Raceway. William Byron, who had a stellar 2025 campaign, was also in contention for the elusive Bill France Cup, the first of his career. Unfortunately, fate had other plans, and with just four laps to go, the Hendrick Motorsports driver brought about a late caution because of a blown tire, which shuffled the grid and handed Kyle Larson the title. And Byron, who felt guilty about stripping Hamlin’s race lead, apologized after the checkered flag was waved, admitting, “It just doesn’t seem right.”

But in hindsight, Byron can take plenty of positives from the season gone by. And with the 2026 campaign on the horizon, the Hendrick Motorsports driver will look to build on his performance and hope that it’ll be enough to lift the cha

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