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Todd Gilliland runs William Byron into wall for first caution of Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray

JHby:Jonathan Howard•02/02/25•

Jondean25

William Byron Bowman Gray
Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Things just went south for William Byron at Bowman Gray. Todd Gilliland squeezed him in Turn 4 and it was to the detriment of the 24. The NASCAR Clash is only heating up right now as the laps tick away.

Soon we will have the halfway break. William Byron’s Chevy did not make it to that point without taking a hit into the wall. He was dragged down the wall and then spun around to bounce off of it again.

If I were Gilliland, I don’t want to see the 24 car anywhere near me after this. The Madhouse, folks.

William Byron went a lap down following this incident. He was then given the free pass at the halfway break. Drivers will get repairs and tires. No fuel. Byron will be back on the lead lap. He is second to last, only ahead of Kyle Busch who is two laps down.

Denny Hamlin hunted Chase Elliott down before the break. Hamlin made moves to get up to P1 before the halfway caution. Elliott led 96 laps with Hamlin leading the final four. Is Hamlin about to win his fifth Clash at a third different track?

Only Dale Earnhardt has won more than four Clash races all-time. Hamlin is second on the list with his four. Last season he broke a tie with Dale Jarrett, Tony Stewart, and Kevin Harvick.

William Byron and his team will have a lot of work ahead of them before this race gets going again. That move from Gilliland was not great.

William Byron still in the race

While he has a damaged car, William Byron will be on the lead lap when the race begins again. That is huge. For Byron, that means he at least has a chance of some kind. Not a great one, but still, a chance. That’s all a driver can ask for.

Hendrick Motorsports is doing well. Chase Elliott led almost the entire first half. Kyle Larson has moved up after entering with heavy damage from the Last Chance Qualifier. Alex Bowman is holding his own as well, remaining on the lead lap.

This could be a big season for Byron. He has been winning a lot of races the last two seasons. I expect him to keep doing that this year. With Hendrick power, he will likely be one of the favorites to win at Daytona for a back-to-back victory there.

William Byron is beat up right now, but he’s not out. Bowman Gray is going to get even more wild before this thing ends. Could Byron sneak his way back up through the field?