Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron took the win in Stage 1 of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Byron, stayed on track on a caution with 10 laps remaining in the Stage to snag the lead.
He wouldn’t look back.
Erik Jones, who utilized the same strategy, was second in Stage 1.
Austin Dillon held off Chase Elliott for third, and Kevin Harvick ended the Stage in fifth.
Denny Hamlin, Matt DiBenedetto, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top-10 in Stage 1.
The Stage was a relatively clean one, except for a nine-car pileup on pit road during the competition caution at lap 12.
Martin Truex Jr., Justin Allgaier, Corey LaJoie and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s bids for the win came to an end in this crash.
Ryan Newman also lost a tire and slammed the wall on lap 39. Newman is three laps off the pace in 33rd.
Stage and Playoff Points Awarded in Stage 1:
| Finish | Driver | Stage Points | Playoff Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Byron | 10 | 1 |
| 2 | Erik Jones | 9 | 0 |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | 8 | 0 |
| 4 | Chase Elliott | 7 | 0 |
| 5 | Kevin Harvick | 6 | 0 |
| 6 | Denny Hamlin | 5 | 0 |
| 7 | Matt DiBenedetto | 4 | 0 |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | Brad Keselowski | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | Clint Bowyer | 1 | 0 |
