William Byron may start 18th for Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville, but he has momentum on his side. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
RIDGEWAY, Va. — William Byron continues to justify preseason prognostications as a leading candidate for this year’s NASCAR Cup Series champion.
After a strong campaign last year with six wins and a third place finish in the championship standings, Byron is off to a strong start in 2024. Kicking off the year with a victory in the 66th DAYTONA 500, the 26-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native recently reeled off a dominant win at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
Winning the DAYTONA 500 is one of the crowning achievements for any driver. For Byron, who won “The Great American Race” in a backup car, it was quite the catalyst for his year and Hendrick Motorsports’ ruby anniversary season.
“It was really special. That race is such a big event in itself and really kind of gets the season kicked off,” Byron said prior to Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions. “And I’ve never had great results in that race. We’ve always struggled to finish, so just getting to the finish was a goal this year, and then being in contention to win was obviously a goal, and I feel like we accomplished all of that.
“We were up front throughout the week. We had a good Duel. We were contending and then in the 500, we made all the right decisions there at the end and was able to come out on top. So it was pretty special.”
Heading into Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, Byron enters with some momentum on his side. Ranking seventh in the championship standings, Byron has two top fives and four top 10s through the first seven races of the year.
Despite the strong start to the year, Byron, like any dedicated athlete, knows there is always room for growth and evolution.
“I think just trying to trying to work on consistency,” he said. “I feel like at times for us when we’re really fast, we’re not as consistent. At other times we’re not as fast, we’re consistent. So just trying to be fast and consistent, that’s the big thing. But I feel like we’ve had a good start to the year [with the] DAYTONA 500. That’s been the biggest race of the year so far. And we won that.
“And then COTA was a big race as well, first road course of the year. So I just feel like we’re doing a lot of good things in high pressure situations, which is become a common trend for us as a team. But we just got to keep working on the the other weekends that aren’t maybe as strong. Try to raise those up a little bit.”
The short track season has been a bit of a feast or famine experience for Byron this year. An early accident at Bristol derailed a promising effort after starting eighth, relegated to a 35th place finish. Most recently, Byron qualified 13th and finished seventh at Richmond Raceway.
Now, Byron seeks his second victory at the 0.526-mile paperclip track. In 12 prior starts, Byron has a victory in the 2022 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400, four top fives and six top 10s with an average finishing position of 14.29.
Last year, Byron finished 23rd in the spring race while clawing to a hard fought 13th in an unusually hot Xfinity 500 last October. As seen in NASCAR: Full Speed on Netflix, Byron’s intense physical training paid dividends in one of the toughest races last year for the No. 24 team.
It has been a win-win experience as far as Byron is concerned. The new exposure to NASCAR from watchful eyes on the streaming platform got a great glimpse of the dedication and sacrifices that drivers like Byron put forth to excel in a highly competitive sport.
William Byron may have his work cut out for him on Sunday at Martinsville, but he will be a force to be reckoned with in the Cook Out 400. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
“Yeah, I think it’s been great. I think that the Netflix show is really shone a light into different drivers and how they prepare and what their personal life is, is like, so I think it’s been really good for the sport in the growth of it,” he observed.
Before Byron became the consistent, race winner and championship contender in 2020, he was a bit slender but fit. In recent years, he has toned and gotten physically stronger with how demanding races can be as a season progresses.
“I feel like me personally, I’m just always trying to find ways to improve. I feel like my, my time in the first couple months of the year has been devoted to some different ways to prepare, and I feel like each year just try to evolve that into what I, what I think is is best. So I feel like I’m doing a good job this year of being prepared and and feeling fresh and ready when I get to the track.
Before taking to the paperclip on Saturday afternoon, Byron considered the significance of this weekend for the Hendrick organization and the unique, ruby red look for the teams.
“It’s a 40th anniversary for Hendrick Motorsports when they started here at Martinsville and won their first race here at Martinsville,” Byron said. “So it’s a big deal. Big, big weekend for for all of us and a lot of employees and and family and friends coming out to watch.
“There’s so many people back at the shop that that it all this goes into. So it’s going to be a big weekend, a lot of pressure for us to perform. So hopefully we go out there and have a have a great car and can compete for the win because this would be a huge win.”
Certainly, Byron is no stranger to big, prestigious wins. In fact, his maiden Cup victory was the 2020 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, a win that propelled him into the Playoffs. The sim to reality racing talent knows how to step up to the big occasions that captivate sports fans’ attention, whether on the hardwood court or asphalt arena.
Similarly, Byron and his Rudy Fugle-led team have adapted to one of the biggest changes with the Next Gen. Arguably, the short track and road course races have been middling in terms of promoting close racing.
While Byron and his Hendrick teammates struggled last month at Phoenix, he observed how the organization made gains recently at Richmond.
“We just race with what we have and try to do the best job with it,” Byron said. “I feel that the short track package to start out this year was an adjustment for us. It was a lot different at Phoenix. And so we we just had to adjust our setup and accommodate for that.
“But I feel like last weekend, we started getting back solid, good speed from everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. So I feel like we’re back in the realm we need to be. So we just got to keep building.”
The best in their craft are never complacent with their abilities. Time after time, they strive to elevate themselves knowing how the competition makes gain.
For a young driver who was a race fan growing up and admired the likes of Jimmie Johnson, he has proven that he has been more than ready for primetime.
By all means, William Byron has grown from just a young star driver. He is a leader. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
If anything, Byron exemplifies the Hendrick Motorsports standard of excellence, evolving behind the wheel and with his hardy No. 24 team each weekend.
“I really think it just comes down to confidence and having the confidence to make good decisions, say the right things to your team to improve,” Byron shared. “It’s a never ending process to get better and improve each week.
“And I feel like as the years have gone on, I’ve gotten more accustomed and more used to that role. And just trying to be a good leader and trying to lead by example. So I feel that, you know, the race team that I have around me is surrounded. I’m surrounded by great people and we all do our part.”
