William Byron and Carson Hocevar, two prime contenders for the checkered flag, each found a dose of late-race heartache in Sunday’s Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.
Home-state favorite Hocevar led 32 laps and was just ahead of Byron at the front of the field when the left-rear tire on his No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet went flat with 19 laps remaining in the FireKeepers Casino 400.
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That mishap handed the top spot back to Byron, who battled with eventual race winner Denny Hamlin before giving way in the 197th of 200 laps. That misfortune was magnified when Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet ran dry of fuel on the next-to-last lap, forcing him to pit road.
Byron finished 28th in the 36-car field as the last driver on the lead lap. Hocevar ended up one spot behind Byron in 29th, the first driver one lap down.
Hocevar, the 2024 Sunoco Rookie of the Year, was seeking his first Cup Series victory. Byron was aiming for his first Cup win since the season-opening Daytona 500 in February.
This story will be updated.
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