William Byron

Kyle Larson

The drama at Talladega Superspeedway for the 2025 YellaWood 500 was nothing short of gut‑wrenching for the drivers of Hendrick Motorsports, William Byron and Kyle Larson.

Each seemed perfectly poised for a win – especially Byron – only for late‑race misfortune to snatch their hopes away in the blink of an eye.

The setup

Byron and Larson entered the final restart of the race running 1‑2, with Byron inside on the bottom lane and Larson outside on the top lane. (Official Site Of NASCAR)

Their teamwork and positioning had given Hendrick Motorsports what looked like a strong shot at a front‑row finish — and more importantly, for both drivers, a key step toward the Championship 4. (Frontstretch)

The final lap unraveling

As the two‑lap overtime began, everything appeared under control.

Byron and Larson were leading the charge, working the draft, maintaining the momentum.

However, the first crack came when Larson’s car started sputtering — he was running low on fuel. (Official Site Of NASCAR)

Halfway around that final lap, Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet ran out of fuel and essentially lost momentum.

He was forced to get out of the draft and avoid being a hindrance — which immediately disrupted the inside lane where Byron was riding behind him. (Sportskeeda)

Byron, aboard the No. 24 Chevrolet, suddenly had his momentum broken.

The outside lane — driven by a train of Toyotas (including Bubba Wallace, Ty Gibbs and eventual winner Chase Briscoe) — surged past as Byron’s bottom side collapsed. (Official Site Of NASCAR)

Then, as Byron entered the tri‑oval, he was nudged by Carson Hocevar and spun out, losing all chance of a top finish.

He ended up 25th; Larson managed 26th. (The Podium Finish)