NASCAR at Phoenix results, highlights: William Byron uses late cautions to captures second win in a row

It was gutsy, daring and clever. It was also quick.

William Byron found himself on the outside looking in with precious few laps to go in Sunday’s United Rentals Work United 500. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson had been dominant for much of the final two stages, canceling out any rhythm the No. 24 car seemed to have early.

But as drivers headed for pit road after a late caution flag, Byron put his faith in crew chief Rudy Fugle. Lining up behind Harvick’s No. 4 car, Byron and Co. changed just two tires, subverting Harvick.

It was a move that won Byron the day at Phoenix Raceway. Even after struggling to maintain his blistering Stage 1 pace, the Hendrick Motorsports driver took his second checkered flag in as many weeks.

MORE: Date, time, TV channels for every NASCAR Cup Series race in 2023

After stumbling to high-20s finishes in his opening two races, Byron has come to life. And although he wasn’t quite as dominant as he was at Las Vegas, a win is a win — and this one was marked by gritty driving and excellent crew work.

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It’s early in the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, but the 25-year-old Byron looks to be the man to beat right now.

The Sporting News tracked live updates from the United Rentals Work United 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Below are the highlights and live results from all the action under the beaming Arizona sun.

United Rentals Work United 500 live updates, highlights from 2023 race

(All times Eastern)

6:49 p.m.: Byron does it again! In overtime, the No. 24 car takes the checkered flag.

6:45 p.m.: Hamlin with a smooth block on Harvick, shutting the door and keeping him on the outside looking in ahead of OT.

6:41 p.m.: CAUTION! A.J. Allmendinger and Ty Gibbs take a pair of shots to the wall, bringing today’s race into overtime. Harvick has a chance!

6:39 p.m.: Byron pitted for two tires, fooling Harvick and putting the No. 4 team back. It will be a tough ask for Happy to get a victory here; just four laps remaining.

6:36 p.m.: Harvick, Byron, Larson and Bell headed to pit road. Looks like Larson will get out of there first. Harvick is some way back. He’s going to lose some serious ground on the restart.

6:32 p.m.: CAUTION! Harrison Burton’s tire pops, sending debris into the stratosphere. That’s not what you want to see if you’re Harvick, who was out in front with just 10 laps to go.

6:30 p.m.: Smooth sailing for Harvick thus far. 15 laps to go and he’s looking on pace for lucky No. 10 at Phoenix.

6:26 p.m.: Harvick holds a firm lead over Larson. Just passed Wallace, who goes a lap down in 21st place. 21 laps to go from Phoenix.

6:16 p.m.: Harvick takes the lead! What a pass by Happy, who slips past the No. 5 car with 44 laps to go.

6:14 p.m.: While Larson and Harvick hold a fairly comfortable edge over the rest of the pack, Jones isn’t too far behind. A caution flag could make this race very interesting.

6:11 p.m.: Larson gaining fast on Jones, whose fuel is burning out at an accelerated rate. Unless something changes quickly, he’ll be getting passed by Larson in no time. 

6:08 p.m.: Erik Jones the only driver to stay out during pit stops. He’ll be hoping for a caution to be waved sooner rather than later.

6:04 p.m.: Keselowski headed to pit road. That should bring a wave of drivers in the coming few moments. 66 laps to go. Larson in control.

6:00 p.m.: Christopher Bell passes Byron for third. Be interesting to see if the the Joe Gibbs Racing driver can make a play for Larson.

5:53 p.m.: Byron falling fast. He’s now nearly six seconds behind the pace-setter Larson, sitting in third place. Not what you want to see from the No. 24 car.

5:45 p.m.: Bubba Wallace found himself on the cusp of the top-10 for much of Stage 2. However, a lengthy pit stop drops him back to 19th place.

5:40 p.m.: Race restart at Phoenix and look who’s in the front of the pack: none other than Harvick. Lots of folks in the mix early in the final stage.

5:29 p.m.: Larson takes Stage 2! 

Kyle Larson wins the second stage at Phoenix. pic.twitter.com/WvpMtXlh1i

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 12, 2023

5:26 p.m.: Briscoe building in confidence as the race wears on. He started at 24th, but is sitting at 10th with six laps left to go in the stage. It was only a year ago when he nabbed the win at Phoenix. He’s certainly got the pedigree to make things interesting in the final stage.

5:15 p.m.: Buescher with a bit of a jab at Suarez, giving him a taste of his bumper when trying to pass the No. 99 car. Could have been disastrous for Suarez, although he recovered well to keep control.

That was a close one. Contact between Chris Buescher and Daniel Suárez 😳 pic.twitter.com/Chv2RltT7g

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 12, 2023

5:13 p.m.: Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher and Daniel Suarez are three wide just outside the top-10. Intriguing stuff in the middle of the pack.

5:10 p.m.: Green flag waved for the race restart. Should give the rest of the field a chance to make things tighter with the Hendrick Motorsports boys who have been on top throughout the day.

5:01 p.m.: CAUTION! Aric Almirola veers his whip into the wall on Turn 4, losing part of his wheel after his tire exploded. Lap 138 draws the first caution of the day.

Caution for an incident with the No. 10. pic.twitter.com/pIGLZBwqLb

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 12, 2023

4:53 p.m.: Kyle Busch and Michael McDowell served penalties after rolling into pit road too fast. They’ll be pushed back in the field as a result.

4:50 p.m.: Denny Hamlin headed to pit road. That should start an exodus of lead-lap drivers to get their gas and tires changed.

4:43 p.m.: Byron nipping on Larson’s heels as we approach Lap 50 of Stage 2. The Hendrick Motorsports duo has been on its game early.

4:40 p.m.: Brad Keselowski having a far better day at Phoenix than this time last year. He’s stayed in the top-10 for each of the first 100 laps of the day.

4:36 p.m.: Just hit the century mark for laps today. Here’s how things are looking thus far:

100 laps left in second stage: Larson Byron Hamlin Bell Keselowski Chastain Harvick Suarez Bowman McDowell Wallace Jones Briscoe Gibbs Truex Berry

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 12, 2023

4:29 p.m.: Green flag back in Phoenix. Larson stole the march on Byron, pacing past him on pit road. He’s back in front.

4:18 p.m.: Byron takes the Stage 1. That’s his fourth straight stage victory. He’s on fire at the moment.

William Byron cruises to winning the opening stage at Phoenix. pic.twitter.com/MHqx6Jhplx

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 12, 2023

Kyle Larson after Stage 1 ends: “I feel like I’m pretty good. It’s just…William is *really* good.”

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) March 12, 2023

4:14 p.m.: Logano in dangerous position to get lapped by Byron. The reigning Cup Series champion needs to stay in front of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to ensure he gets the free pass in Stage 2.

4:13 p.m.: Erik Jones and Ty Gibbs looking to break into stage point contention with 10 laps left. The two are battling for track position in 14th and 15th place.

4:05 p.m.: Clear air for Byron out front, who has led all but one lap despite starting the race behind Larson. The No. 24 is going for broke early.

4:00 p.m.: For those on Harvick watch: the No. 4 car sits in 13th place, 13 seconds off of Byron’s pace. Nearing the halfway point of Stage 1.

3:54 p.m.: Joey Logano already getting tight into Martin Truex Jr. Not just once, but twice. Can’t imagine Truex will be too happy with the No. 22 car’s antics early.

3:49 p.m.: William Byron roars past Larson to take the lead within the first two laps.

3:48 p.m.: Green flag waved at Phoenix Raceway. Kyle Larson leading the pack to start things.

3:45 p.m.: Kevin Harvick hoping to extend top-10 streak at Las Vegas to 20 straight years. By far the greatest driver in the track’s history.

3:39 p.m.: Engines started here at Phoenix. Should be a compelling race.

3:15 p.m.: Zane Smith headed to the rear after encountering a power-steering problem earlier in the day.

Only car to the rear so far is the Zane Smith car as they had to repair a power steering leak this morning. https://t.co/P3hzi7qSTF

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 12, 2023

3:05 p.m.: It’ll be a packed house today at Phoenix Raceway.

You heard it here first…we are SOLD OUT for the #UnitedRentals500! pic.twitter.com/JfJ6nT0I4K

— Phoenix Raceway (@phoenixraceway) March 12, 2023

Phoenix Raceway announces today’s #NASCAR race is a sellout. Fourth straight Phoenix sellout.

NASCAR opens the season with sellouts in three of the first four events (Daytona 500, Fontana, Phoenix).

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) March 12, 2023

3:00 p.m.: Kyle Larson looks ready to operate today. Here he is discussing how he was pleasantly surprised with Hendrick’s performance at Phoenix this weekend:

Kyle Larson is on the pole for the race today. He was happy with the car Saturday as he backed up the fast speed in practice. He was worried coming into the weekend because Hendrick wasn’t part of the January test at Phoenix. pic.twitter.com/F3onyxZw1w

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 12, 2023

United Rentals Work United 500 2023 starting lineup

What channel is the United Rentals Work United 500 on today?

• TV channel: Fox (U.S.) | TSN5 (Canada)
• Live stream: FoxSports.com, fuboTV

This year’s United Rentals Work United 500 will be broadcast on Fox in the United States. Canadian viewers can find the race on TSN5.

Mike Joy will lead the coverage, serving as the race’s lap-by-lap announcer. He’ll be joined in the booth by former Cup Series drivers Clint Bowyer and Danica Patrick.

Cord-cutters can find Sunday’s race on FoxSports.com, as well as fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

What time does the United Rentals Work United 500 start today?

• Date: Sunday, March 12
• Start time: 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. local time)

Sunday’s race is listed to start at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. local time), but pre-race activities will push the green flag to 3:47 p.m. ET (12:47 p.m. local time).