NASCAR championship contender docked points after incident at Texas
William Byron spun out Denny Hamlin in the race
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}William Byron suffered a bit of a setback in his quest for a NASCAR Cup championship.
Byron was docked 25 points and fined $50,000 for spinning out Denny Hamlin during Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. The penalty dropped Byron to 10th in the NASCAR playoffs standings as he looks to qualify for the Round of 8. He is now on the bubble eight points behind the cut line.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}William Byron, #24, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Larry Papke)
Byron, driving the No. 24 car, spun Hamlin out with the caution flag already flying. He said he just ran out of room and did not really have a choice.
"I didn’t mean to spin him out over there, but I’m obviously pissed off and just not going to get run like that. We’ve always raced so well together, so I don’t know what it was all about," Byron told NBC Sports.
Hamlin was not pleased either.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Denny Hamlin prepares to drive during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
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"I’ll just add it to the list of guys, when I get a chance, they’re going to get it," Hamlin told NBC Sports after the race. "It all just works itself out. We’ll all be racing each other at some point. He’ll lose a lot of spots because he’s racing me.
"This is hard racing, obviously. I’m fine with hard racing but wrecking me under caution was not we were bargaining for," he continued.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}William Byron, driver of the #24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet, sits in his car prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Auto Trader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sept. 25, 2022 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Hamlin finished in 10th place despite the wreck. He sits in fifth place in the points standings – just 15 points ahead of Austin Cindric, who is in ninth place.
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Hendrick Motorsports said it would appeal the discipline.