William Byron gets more hockey than he expected

NORTH WILKESBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 19: William Byron, driver of the #51 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, looks on during practice for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Tyson 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 19, 2023 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

William Byron planned to go to a hockey game. He wasn’t prepared for a marathon.

An ardent Carolina Hurricanes fan, Byron traveled to Raleigh by helicopter—courtesy of team owner Rick Hendrick—to watch the ‘Canes play the Florida Panthers in Thursday night’s opening game of the NHL’s Eastern Conference finals.

After three periods, the game was tied at 2 and headed for overtime. Florida scored the ostensible game winner in the first overtime period, only to have the goal rescinded under challenge for goalie interference.

The first overtime ended after 20 extra minutes, and Byron left with the game still in the balance.

“Unfortunately, we had to leave early,” he said on Friday before driving his No. 24 Chevrolet on pit road during the Pit Crew Challenge that set the fields for Saturday’s qualifying heats for the NASCAR All-Star Race (8 p.m. Sunday on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“I was there through the first overtime and watched the end of the game (at home). That’s why my voice sounds the way it does. I watched it and it was tough. Four overtimes, and it was about 2 in the morning. We’ll move on to the next game, I guess. They played really hard. I got some inspiration from watching that, definitely.”

The game didn’t end the way Byron would have liked. With 12.7 seconds left in the fourth overtime, Matthew Tkachuk slapped home the game winner for the Panthers, ending the sixth longest game in NHL history.