WATCH: William Byron takes checkered flag at Pennzoil 400 after exciting overtime finish

William Byron ended up taking the checkered flag at the Pennzoil 400 after a late caution threw the race into an overtime finish. Byron led for 175 laps in the race and had won both stages prior to the final stage, but slipped out of the lead and appeared to be out of the running for first place.

With a little bit of luck, a late caution flag sent the race into overtime rules and a quicker pit stop got him out ahead of teammate — and race leader before the caution — Kyle Larson. Byron ended up leading for his 176th lap of the day when it mattered most and took his first win of the season.

RETWEET TO CONGRATULATE WILLIAM BYRON ON HIS WIN IN LAS VEGAS! pic.twitter.com/6UEA6WtSDz

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 5, 2023

William Byron wins Pennzoil 400

The restart for overtime provided plenty of drama in an otherwise uneventful race, with pit crews possibly deciding the race winner between Byron and Larson. Byron got out of pit row just a few inches ahead of Larson and earned the second choice in which lane to restart from behind Martin Truex Jr.

Truex stayed out on the track despite having run 40 laps down the stretch on his tires already in a gamble to restart in first place at the cost of speed to the finish line. Truex chose the inside for the restart and Byron took the lead position in the outside, leaving Larson behind Truex.

Truex attempted to hold his lead but Byron quickly took the lead and was uncontested to the checkered flag as the rest of the field had to navigate around Truex. Having won both stages prior and leading 176 laps total, the race was in Larson’s hand prior to the unfortunate caution that forced the restart. The caution was only the second caution for cause during the entire race, and came at the worst possible time for Larson.

Larson was asked after the race what he thought when he saw the caution come out right before he could win, and he answered with the quote of the day — “Damn.”