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With new point system, drivers may avoid William Byron’s 2016 fate in Truck Series

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CHARLOTTE, NC - JANUARY 24: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This image has been processed using digital filters.) NASCAR Xfinity Series driver William Byron poses for a photo during the NASCAR 2017 Media Tour at the Charlotte Convention Center on January 24, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Last November at Phoenix International Raceway, William Byron was 12 laps away from clinching a spot in the Camping World Truck Series’ championship race.

Then those chances literally blew up in front of him with an engine failure.

Byron, who set a rookie record with seven Truck wins, hopes the new points format announced on Monday will mean he and future drivers in similar positions are less likely suffer similar consequences.

“I think it was an unfortunate situation last year,” Byron said Tuesday on the NASCAR Media Tour. “We can’t really look back at that. But I think if we do have a good season this year and we have something bad happen coming into in the second round of the (playoff), it feels a lot more comforting that we could get through to Homestead with our previous success throughout the year and stuff like that.”

MORE: Nate Ryan: The Chase is dead in name only

MORE: Xfinity drivers react to new point system

With the enhanced points system, bonus points carry through the first three rounds of the playoffs.
The winner of the first two race stages of each regular-season race would receive one bonus playoff point to be added to his/her reset total before the playoffs begin. The race winner will receive five bonus playoff points to be added to their reset total.

Those bonus points also can be earned in the playoff races. As a result, a Truck Series driver who wins the playoff opener at New Hampshire Motor Speedway would receive five points that would count to his/her overall total. Byron won last year at New Hampshire but did not finish better than fifth until the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“I’m just glad the sport is trying to innovate themselves and do things that will help a situation like that last year,” said Byron, who enters his rookie Xfinity Series season with JR Motorsports. “To try and avoid that happening, I guess again, is a good thing for our team to know that if we do have a parts failure we can advanced past it and still have our championship hopes alive.”

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