“We’re embarrassed. We’ve got to execute a lot better all around. Nothing comfortable. We didn’t do s— today. We’ve got to improve and get better and race our a-s off every week or it’s going to be a long offseason,” lashed out William Byron’s crew chief after the first playoff race at Darlington, when his driver finished 21st. Back then, Byron and his No. 24 team looked shaken, uncertain, and miles away from the Championship 4 conversation.

The noise was loud. Critics called their momentum “overhyped,” their playoff hopes “fading fast.” But instead of breaking apart, Hendrick Motorsports’ young duo did the opposite. They regrouped, recalibrated, and reignited their form just when it mattered most. Fast-forward to Martinsville, and the same man who once fumed in frustration delivered

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