If you followed William Byron’s remarkable rise through NASCAR’s national-series ranks, his recent success comes as no surprise.
Seven wins in the 2016 Camping World Truck Series season and a four-win Xfinity Series year in 2017 are among his laurels — all accomplished before the age of 20. Now, in the midst of what is shaping up to be his best-ever season in the Cup Series, Byron and Hendrick Motorsports have inked a deal keeping the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet with the organization through 2025.
“It certainly means a lot,” Byron said. “It’s been a special, special few weeks really. To get the wins that we did and have this announcement today (Thursday) is obviously great. So, really excited for it. Excited for the next few years and just want to keep building what we’re doing with our 24 team. I feel like we’re really starting to build good momentum and got great people around me with my crew chief Rudy (Fugle) and all the people that he’s assembled under me. Just really excited and thankful and hopefully (we) keep it going.”
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The youngest of a youthful stable at Hendrick Motorsports, 24-year-old Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle are only in their second year together at the Cup level. But the early success is speaking for itself.
After two seasons with renowned crew chief Chad Knaus (2019-20), the new No. 24 duo has triple the number of wins and has four times the amount of top fives in 25 fewer races together.
So far this season, Byron surged late to win at the newly reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway and dominated the Final Stage on a cold night in Virgnia to take home an emotional, family-dedicated victory at Martinsville Speedway. He also won a Camping World Truck Series race, too.
“It’s all about communication,” Byron said. “I feel like he and I, when we communicate well, we’re really good and we can have a lot of success. What I like about him is that after a tough race, he digs his feet in deeper and figures out how to solve problems. He’s a problem solver. So, I like that aspect and I think that’s why we’ve always been good. When we’re able to rally from bad races and get closer together and work on it.”
Now, with zero doubt about his contract status, which previously would have left him a free agent after the 2022 season, the No. 24 team can focus on one thing: winning a championship.
As it stands, Byron is third in the Cup Series standings, trailing only teammate Chase Elliott and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney. Byron also sits alongside Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain as the only multi-time winner 11 races into the season.
Byron’s 2021 playoff run was his best ever, coming up just one race short of the Round of 8 and ultimately finishing 10th in the final standings. He has already won more races and led more laps than all of last season.
Credit to some of the newfound success: Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman and four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon.
“He’s helped quite a bit,” Byron said. “I think he’s just made me comfortable in the Cup Series and made me understand what’s important. He’s really good at managing both sides of it. He’s good at managing the off-track and the on-track and knowing the importance of both. He’s been good for me but also good for the race team and good for Rudy.”
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Another championship for Hendrick Motorsports would be a 19th overall and first in the No. 24 since Gordon’s spectacular six-win 2001 season.
And Byron and Fugle just might be the perfect pairing to get it done.
“For us, it’s just learning this new car,” Byron said. “Everything we did last year was great, and it kind of set a good foundation for what is important to us and how we’re going to approach our season.”