• Saturday’s BLUE-EMU MAXIMUM PAIN RELIEF 200, Martinsville
WINNER: WILLIAM BYRON
William Byron proved emphatically Thursday night he hadn’t forgotten how to drive a truck.
Making only his second start in the Camping World Truck Series since 2016, Byron parlayed perfect pit strategy into a decisive victory in the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200 at Martinsville Speedway.
In his last full season in the series in 2016, Byron won seven races before moving on to the Xfinity Series and finally to the Cup Series.
With Kevin “Bono” Manion on his pit box, and with input from Cup crew chief Rudy Fugle, Byron brought his No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet to pit road for the final time on Lap 83 of 200 and took over the lead when the trucks ahead of him pitted at the end of Stage 2 on Lap 104.
The 24-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, led all but two of the final 96 laps and beat runner-up Johnny Sauter to the finish line by 1.138 seconds. Kyle Busch ran third, followed by John Hunter Nemechek and defending series champion Ben Rhodes.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Byron. “Great crowd here at Martinsville. “Yeah, just awesome to get the win tonight — a great truck tonight, the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet.”