NASCAR Cup Series

AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 highlights: William Byron wins at Texas

Updated Sep. 24, 2023 7:49 p.m. ET

The NASCAR Cup Series' 10-race playoff schedule continued Sunday with William Byron winning the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Byron's win came in dramatic fashion, taking the lead late from Bubba Wallace in the final laps of the 400-mile race.

Sunday's race was the first of three races in the Round of 12. Byron kept his spot atop the standings while Wallace moved to ninth, sitting just one spot out of the cutoff line for the round of eight. Denny Hamlin moved from third to second while Martin Truex Jr. dropped from second to fifth. Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain and Brad Keselowski hold spots in the top eight following Sunday's race.

Kyle Busch and Tyler Reddick fell out of the top 12, joining Ryan Blaney and Wallace as the racers on the outside looking in following Sunday. You can find a full list of winners so far this year, as well as the season's remaining schedule here.

Check out our live coverage below!

Star power

Singer, songwriter and rapper Jelly Roll gave the command for drivers to start their engines Sunday.

He wasn't the only big name in attendance, as NBA superstar Luka Dončić was nearby to watch all the action.

Green!

Just like that, things got underway in Texas.

Tough start

Blaney got off to a rough start, falling all the way back to 25th right out of the gate.

Dillon in early danger

Roughly halfway through the opening stage, Austin Dillon found himself in trouble when he lost a wheel while making a turn, causing the first yellow flag of the day to appear.

He went to the care center right after but was promptly released.

More close calls

Cars were converging and keeping close through much of the later part of the first stage, which caused another pair of drivers to get in trouble. Todd Gilliland was one of the racers affected, losing two wheels in another nearby accident.

More chaos

Busch was on the wrong end of another caution in the first stage of the race, crashing out in lap 74.

Coming through!

The crash caused major damage to Busch's car, forcing him to drive backward on the track.

Wild end to Stage 1

Elsewhere, Truex spun out at the end of Stage 1 — but he wasn't the only racer to find himself in trouble, as Ty Gibbs and Hamlin collided into each other on pit road.

Meanwhile, it was Reddick who came away with the day's first stage win, picking up a key playoff point in the process.

Another one bites the dust

The pit road Collison ended up marking the end of Gibbs' day.

Racing hard in Stage 2

Wallace regained the lead in Stage 2, holding the top spot for much first half of the stage as Reddick fell all the way back to 26th at one point.

He actually set a new personal record for his most laps led at a race — moving to 81 laps led in the middle of Stage 2 — but Larson took the lead from Wallace with 22 laps left and didn't relinquish it to claim the stage win.

Larson leading

Larson remained in a comfortable spot through most of the first half of the final stage, holding the lead as the race entered its final 50 laps.

Yikes, Yeley!

JJ Yeley took his turn to spin out Sunday, causing another flag to come up with 24 laps left in the race.

A crash in front

As Larson and Wallace were racing for the lead, Larson's car gave out, crashing and spinning out of control with 19 laps to go to give Wallace the clear lead. It also marked the 10th caution of the race.

Another major crash

Several cars collided while entering a straightaway in the final 10 laps of the race, causing major chaos.

Blaney appeared to be on the worst end of it all, with his getting wrecked, ending his day.

Byron passes Wallace to get the win

As the race approached its final laps after the final caution, Byron geared up and made a final push, taking the lead from Wallace with five laps remaining before holding on to win.

PRE-RACE

Setting the stage

Ahead of the action, FOX Sports' Bob Pockrass broke down what and who to watch out for in Saturday's race.

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