That's Five for Byron; Victory at Berlin Raceway

Takeaways from the Money in the Bank 150 at Berlin Raceway (By Brandon White)

A near-perfect season for NASCAR Cup Series competitor William Byron in Super Late Model competition continued at Berlin Raceway on Thursday evening in the Money in the Bank 150.

Nobody could match the efficiency Byron displayed at the front of the stacked 30-car field, as he held off Bubba Pollard following the final competition caution to tally his fifth victory behind the wheel of a Super Late Model in 2022.

With his win, Byron joins a small but elite group of drivers that have won the Money in the Bank 150 during its brief existence. That list includes Pollard, local regular Brian Campbell and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Carson Hocevar, who won the last two runnings of the race.

Below are the key takeaways from Byron‘s dominant run in Thursday‘s Money in the Bank 150 at Berlin Raceway.

William Byron the class of the field

William Byron had never seen Berlin Raceway prior to arriving at the track earlier in the week.

Once he strapped into his No. 24 Axalta Coating Systems Toyota prepared by short track veteran Donnie Wilson, any uneasiness evaporated for Byron as he took control of the Money in the Bank 150 after passing Bubba Pollard early on.

Byron expected Pollard to challenge him as the laps clicked off but said that keeping his composure and taking care of his equipment were crucial towards holding on for the win.

“It came down to good tire management,” Byron said. “Branden [Lines] was coaching me through it the whole time and I was trying to run a good pace with Bubba [Pollard]. At times, I thought he was better than me, but it worked out to where I could get my tires cooled back off and once we got some longer runs, the car came back to me.”

For Byron, winning the Money in the Bank 150 carried some extra significance knowing that he ended up beating Pollard and Camping World Truck Series driver Ty Majeski.

The Super Late Model resumes for both Pollard and Majeski include victories in prestigious events like the Snowball Derby, All American 400 and the Oxford 250, so Byron knew that a victory on Thursday would involve defeating two of the best in the discipline.

Byron was thrilled to get the best of both Pollard and Majeski. He is confident that the win in the Money in the Bank 150 will give him some much-needed momentum in both Super Late Models and the rest of the Cup Series season.

“I‘ve never had to beat Bubba and Ty,” Byron said. “I‘ve raced against them a lot and they‘ve beat me a lot, so it was nice to get one up on them and hopefully this is a sign of good things to come."

For the full race report by NASCAR on Yahoo click here.