William Byron’s strong performance in the NASCAR playoffs took a disastrous turn at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where a collision involving Ty Dillon forced Byron out of the race and significantly damaged his postseason hopes. The Ty Dillon Las Vegas crash erupted late in Sunday’s race, abruptly halting Byron’s campaign after a day spent battling at the front.
Byron’s Promising Day Ruined by Late-Race Crash
Entering the third stage, Byron found himself poised for a significant result, running in second place after previously leading laps. Just a few circuits after relinquishing the race lead to his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson, Byron swept off Turn 4, unaware that Ty Dillon was decelerating ahead in his No. 10 Chevrolet to enter pit road. Dillon’s reduction in speed caught Byron by surprise; Byron said he never observed Dillon signal his intent, leaving no time for reaction.
According to race footage, Byron struck the rear of Dillon’s car at high speed in dramatic fashion, resulting in a heavy impact that immediately ended Byron’s day.
“Per replay from USA, looked like Byron had no idea T. Dillon was pitting #NASCAR Hope Byron is okay pic.twitter.com/zMtnxaY2Ng”
— Brett Winningham, NASCAR commentator
The severity of the Ty Dillon Las Vegas crash left fans and competitors concerned for Byron’s well-being, accentuated by the fact that he had maintained a fast, race-winning car and led 55 laps up to that point. Despite his momentum and the playoff points accrued earlier in the afternoon, Byron ultimately finished 36th, dealing a major blow to his championship pursuit.
Pit Communication and Missed Signals Lead to Catastrophe
In the aftermath, William Byron explained that he had no clue Dillon was planning to pit, attributing the accident to a lack of visible signaling. He detailed his perspective to NBC Sports, expressing confusion and frustration over the sequence of events that led to the crash. Byron emphasized the absence of information provided to his spotter, underscoring the significance of spotter communication in high-speed situations at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“I never saw him wave,” Byron told NBC Sports. “I didn’t see any indication that he was pitting, and it was probably 12 to 15 laps after we had pitted, so I thought the cycle was over. Nobody said anything to my spotter, from what I know. I had zero idea. Everybody’s been wrapping around the paint relief around the corner and that’s what I’d been doing to have a good lap. I was watching him thinking, OK, he missed the bottom here and then he just started slowing. I had no idea what was going on.
“I’m just devastated. I had no indication, so I obviously wouldn’t have driven full speed into the back of him like that.”
— William Byron, Driver
On the other side, Ty Dillon asserted that his own spotter had communicated the pit stop intention to Byron’s team. While acknowledging that he could have possibly signaled more emphatically, Dillon maintained that drivers heavily depend on their spotters for such crucial moments.
“My spotter told me that he let the 24 spotter know that I was coming to pit road,”
— Ty Dillon, Driver
He added, “Maybe I didn’t wave him off enough, but I feel like at this level, you kind of trust your spotter to do that. I don’t know what we do different there.
“… Hate it for the Hendrick guys, hate it for Chevrolet that it had to happen that way. I’m not even looking at the mirror at that point. I’m just trying to hit my points and get on pit road. He hit me hard, so it’s an unfortunate way for that to happen.”
— Ty Dillon, Driver
Byron Faces Challenging Path Ahead in Playoffs
This abrupt elimination leaves William Byron facing an uphill battle as the NASCAR playoffs continue, with only two races remaining for a chance to recover ground. The incident not only disrupts his run but also weighs heavily on the minds of his team at Hendrick Motorsports and fans who witnessed a potential contender forced out prematurely.
Byron’s exit after the Ty Dillon Las Vegas crash is a reminder of how quickly playoff fortunes can change due to communication breakdowns and split-second decisions on the racetrack. As the playoffs progress, attention will shift to whether Byron and his team at Hendrick can regroup and engineer a comeback, or if this collision will mark the end of his championship pursuit.
Per replay from USA, looked like Byron had no idea T. Dillon was pitting #NASCAR
Hope Byron is okay pic.twitter.com/zMtnxaY2Ng
— Brett Winningham (@NASCAR_BRETT) October 13, 2025
