Hendrick Motorsports star issues scathing criticism after huge NASCAR wreck

NASCAR star William Byron has offered a scathing verdict on a Cup Series incident that ruined his race at Atlanta.

On a lap 69 re-start, restart in the Quaker State 400, Denny Hamlin triggered a huge collision that collected almost half of the field and resulted in several drivers either not finishing the race or having to head to their garage for repairs.

NASCAR HEADLINES: Denny Hamlin suffers Cup Series demotion as multiple stars penalized at Atlanta

Hendrick Motorsports star Byron was one of those caught up in the incident, and speaking post-race, he had a lot to say.

Hitting out at his Cup Series rivals, he compared the wreck to something that you would see in the Truck Series, which generally has much younger, more inexperienced drivers.

"It just sucks right like you're really not that worried about getting back to the front because it's a hundred lap stage and then we crash on the restart,” Byron told FOX Sports.

Byron added: “You can be aggressive, like once you get kind of fully up to speed. I mean, obviously, there's jockeying on restarts always, but just try not to crash, you know.

"So I don't know why we crashed the whole field trying to get up speed. We look like the Truck Series or something."

READ MORE: Ross Chastain and Kyle Busch among NASCAR Cup Series stars hit with penalties at Atlanta

Byron mocks NASCAR wreck at Atlanta

Byron’s race was completely ruined by the wreck, with the No. 24 unable to finish the race and classified 37th.

On the bright side, Byron remains in the lead of the regular season standings, 37 points ahead of teammate Chase Elliott, who claimed his first victory since Texas in 2024 on Saturday night.

As a result of being caught up in the wreck, however, Byron has been eliminated from NASCAR's In-Season Challenge, with Ryan Preece bettering his result.

Byron later mocked the incident on social media, where he shared a GIF on his X account alongside a series of fuming emojis.

The post showed a clip of a man in the snow, as a huge snowplow abruptly came out of nowhere and collected him in a flurry of snowdrift, hardly a subtle metaphor for the wreck at Atlanta.

READ MORE: Chase Elliott issues clear message to Rick Hendrick following Atlanta victory

🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 pic.twitter.com/An1WHRGD9q

— William Byron (@WilliamByron) June 29, 2025

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