Kaulig Racing has dismissed spotter Joe White after a high-stakes incident involving Ty Dillon and playoff contender William Byron during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff round at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The William Byron Las Vegas crash not only impacted several playoff storylines, but also resulted in major personnel changes for the racing team.
Chaotic Communication Breakdown on Las Vegas Track
Sunday’s Round of 8 event saw Ty Dillon, piloted by Joe White, running laps down in a car that had struggled throughout the day. With 31 laps remaining, Dillon was brought in for a green flag pit stop soon after the leaders had completed their own pit cycles. In NASCAR, protocol dictates that when a lapped car is headed to pit road in front of those on the lead lap, teams must clearly communicate the move—generally via spotters or a hand signal—to warn trailing drivers.
Unfortunately, this vital warning never made it clearly to William Byron’s team. Byron, running second after recently losing the lead, had only been told Dillon would occupy either the second or third lane, leaving him uninformed that the No. 10 car was slowing down to pit directly ahead of him. The situation escalated rapidly, as neither Byron nor his spotter received timely, critical information about Dillon’s intention to pit.
“Big trouble for the No. 24 of @WilliamByron! pic.twitter.com/I2fncPZeWW” — NASCAR, Social Media
Byron’s onboard communication confirmed the confusion, as the only warning was that Dillon’s car should be operating in lanes two or three through turns three and four. There was no mention of an imminent pit stop.
“Now for William Byron’s onboard. The only thing Byron is told pre-impact is that Ty Dillon’s car ‘should go Lane 2, Lane 3’ in Turns 3 & 4. Byron and his team seemed to have no idea Dillon was coming to pit road. There was some additional radio chatter as Byron’s car was put on…” — Steven Taranto, Journalist
Severe Collision Wrecks Playoff Hopes and Team Structures
The lack of communication led to a violent collision that knocked both Ty Dillon and William Byron out of contention for the remainder of the race. For Byron, who was in a strong playoff position just before the crash, the result was disastrous—he fell from a 23-point advantage above the playoff cut line to 15 points below it, finishing 36th despite leading 55 laps earlier in the afternoon. Now, Byron faces the pressure of needing a win at either Talladega or Martinsville, or a major points swing, to secure his bid for the Championship 4 in the upcoming finale at Phoenix.
“I never saw him wave. 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 [of green flag stops] was fully over,” — William Byron, Driver
Byron expressed his devastation afterwards, stating he had absolutely no idea that Dillon was pitting and would not have run into his car had he known. Byron exited the infield care center bewildered by the failure in communication that ended his race and damaged his championship prospects so late in the season.
“I’m just devastated. I had no indication, so I obviously wouldn’t have just driven full speed into the back of him like that.” — William Byron, Driver
Spotter Dismissal Follows Intense Scrutiny
After the crash, additional audio revealed Dillon’s crew stated their intention to pit four times between the start-finish line and the exit of turn two, though the warnings seemed to come too late for the necessary chain of communication across teams to fully occur. Joe White, who spotted for both Kaulig Racing’s Cup and Xfinity teams, shared Wednesday that upon arriving in Talladega for this weekend’s event, he was told he was being let go and was returning home. While his relationship as Dillon’s spotter was set to end after the season, his firing mid-week was not widely anticipated prior to this incident.
“Time to dissect the William Byron/Ty Dillon crash. This is Dillon’s onboard. Dillon’s team says they’re pitting this time four times between just before the S/F line and the exit of Turn 2. It starts late, but Dillon’s spotter mentions after the impact that ‘…spotter we were…’ pic.twitter.com/I5SAy7rcJE” — Steven Taranto, Journalist
Shifts in the Kaulig Racing Lineup
With White’s sudden departure, Kaulig Racing has reassigned duties among its staff for the last three races of the season. Veteran spotter Frank Deiny Jr., previously working with the No. 16 car and A.J. Allmendinger, will now step in for the No. 10 team to guide Ty Dillon. Meanwhile, former NASCAR driver T.J. Bell will take over spotting for Allmendinger and the No. 16 crew for the season close. These rapid shifts reveal the intense pressure and accountability teams face in the high-stakes atmosphere of NASCAR’s championship push.
Implications for the Championship and Key Players
The fallout from the William Byron Las Vegas crash has left both playoff structures and team personnel in turmoil. For Byron, the path to the championship now requires overcoming a steep points deficit, with little room for error heading into races at Talladega and Martinsville. The incident also puts the spotlight on the critical importance of precise pit communication between drivers, spotters, and teams—failure in this area can have devastating consequences not just for race results, but also for people’s jobs. Kaulig Racing’s quick decision to replace Joe White underscores the no-tolerance approach taken as teams vie for a championship in the season’s closing stretch.
Big trouble for the No. 24 of @WilliamByron! pic.twitter.com/I2fncPZeWW
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 13, 2025
Now for William Byron's onboard. The only thing Byron is told pre-impact is that Ty Dillon's car "should go Lane 2, Lane 3" in Turns 3 & 4. Byron and his team seemed to have no idea Dillon was coming to pit road.
There was some additional radio chatter as Byron's car was put on… https://t.co/MvqaatUMKW pic.twitter.com/cAafcs3q7m
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) October 13, 2025
Time to dissect the William Byron/Ty Dillon crash. This is Dillon's onboard.
Dillon's team says they're pitting this time four times between just before the S/F line and the exit of Turn 2. It starts late, but Dillon's spotter mentions after the impact that "…spotter we were… pic.twitter.com/I5SAy7rcJE
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) October 13, 2025
Also to be clear, it was already determined that I would not be spotting for Ty next year, but that I would still be with Kaulig in some fashion. But not now.
— Joe White (@White_Joe47) October 15, 2025
