Close call for William Byron in Darlington Cup practice: “Wake up”

Early in practice for the 16 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers, regular season champion William Byron was exiting Turn 2 when he encountered an unexpected roadblock.

Byron, who is tied with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson for the most points after the reset, was rapidly approaching Josh Berry and Chris Buescher as they exited the pits.

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While Berry was a non-issue, Buescher kept coming up, merging onto the racing line directly in front of the No. 24 Chevrolet. Byron abruptly slowed to avoid contact, while Buescher moved out of the way the moment he realized what was happening.

“Holy sh*t,” radioed Byron. “That was like 800 pounds of brake pressure not to (expletive) wreck everybody back there. Tell Herm to (expletive) wake up.”

‘Herm’ in this situation refers to Buescher’s spotter, Mike Herman Jr.

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Other than that moment, there was no notable drama for any other playoff driver in practice, which took place very early in the morning at Darlington Raceway. The track opened for practice just after 9 a.m., EST.

Bubba Wallace was the fastest playoff driver over the course of a single lap, while Ross Chastain led the way in five and ten-lap averages. Byron emerged as the best driver in 15-lap and 20-lap averages, while 2023 series champion Ryan Blaney showed the best pace over 25-lap and 30-lap averages. His Penske teammate Austin Cindric was right there with him at the end of 30 laps.

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Photos from Darlington – Practice & Qualifying

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

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Joe Gibbs

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Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

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Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

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Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports Ford

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Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford

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Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

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Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

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Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

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William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

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Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing Ford

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Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

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John Hunter Nemechek, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota

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Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

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Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports Ford

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Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

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Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota

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Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

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Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

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Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports Ford

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Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

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Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

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Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota

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Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing Ford

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Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

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Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing Ford, Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

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Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota

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Austin Cindric, Team Penske Ford

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Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

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Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports Ford, Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports Ford

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Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

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Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

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Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

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William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

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Brad Keselowski, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

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Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

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Brad Keselowski, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

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Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

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Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Logan Riely / Getty Images

Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota

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Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota

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Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

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Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Chevrolet

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Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

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Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

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Read Also:

Which four drivers will be eliminated in the first round of NASCAR Playoffs?

Regular season champ William Byron claims summer slump talk is ‘overblown’

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Trackhouse makes rare pit crew change ahead of NASCAR Cup Playoffs

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