Undoubtedly, now is the moment for William Byron to step into the spotlight and etch his name among the legends. After clinching the Xfinity Series title as a rookie in 2017 with JR Motorsports, he transitioned to Hendrick Motorsports, taking the wheel of the iconic #24 Chevrolet Camaro. Rather than living in the shadows of giants like Jeff Gordon or Chase Elliott, Byron is fiercely determined to carve out a legacy of his own.
Boasting a remarkable record of seven victories in the Truck Series in 2016 and another four in the Xfinity Series in the subsequent year, Byron’s prodigious talent has never been questioned. Furthermore, with him clinching five Cup races, it’s clear that his prowess isn’t confined to the lower tiers alone.
Currently, Byron’s aspirations are set on one monumental goal: securing his maiden Cup Series championship. Achieving this would not only be a personal milestone for him but would also mark the first title for the No. 24 team since the era of Gordon’s dominance ended in 2001.
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Elated Hendrick Motorsports ace unveils game plan for playoffs
During his early years in the Cup seasons, William Byron cycled through a trio of crew chiefs before striking gold with Rudy Fugle. Their partnership isn’t new, though. Previously, Fugle mentored him during their stint at Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series. Reuniting at Hendrick Motorsports, their collaboration proved fruitful as they clinched five races and dominated by leading a whopping 877 laps throughout the regular season.
Heading into the playoffs, Byron finds himself on an even keel with Truex, both vying for the No. 1 seed. The age and experience gap between the two racers is about 18 years, yet when it comes to points, they’re neck and neck. If Byron can consistently steer clear of blunders and see races through to the end, the odds favor him clinching his inaugural Cup title in Phoenix this November — a track where he celebrated victory earlier this year.
Following his triumph in Atlanta, Byron encountered a challenging phase, missing out on a top-10 finish in five consecutive races over the summer. Nonetheless, the #24 Hendrick Motorsports driver recently shed light on a rather unexpected aspect of their playoff approach.
In a post by SiriusXM NASCAR on Instagram, Byron stated, “Honestly for us we approached every race of the season as kind of playoff race so I don’t think a lot changes for us for playoffs. We honestly just approach the races as we’ve been doing. Win Through a tough little stretch there kinda ended August to get results but as we had couple of at Pocono and Watkins Glen I’ll came together again and had a pretty dominant win there so feel good about where we sit and just gotta keep working.”
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While two drivers from Hendrick Motorsports are poised to chase the championship, their teammates, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott, faced an unexpected twist. For the first time since joining HMS, they missed out on the playoffs. A NASCAR veteran recently provided some insights, shedding light on the underlying factors that disrupted Chase Elliott’s consistent playoff streak.
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After a snowboarding accident led to a tibia fracture, Chase Elliott was sidelined for six races, a setback that veteran Kenny Wallace believes played a significant role in his season’s trajectory. Drawing parallels with other sports to underscore the importance of maintaining momentum, Kenny emphasized how off-track incidents can severely hinder a driver’s rhythm.
On his show, Kenny delved deeper, suggesting that it wasn’t necessarily Chase’s performance during the season that impacted him, but rather the hiatus from racing that disrupted his momentum. He remarked, “It messes your mojo up. It messes your mojo up, that’s like baseball players, they play every day and they’re still in the back taking practice swings, loosening their muscles up..”
“What do you think about the race car drivers? They miss nine weeks, that’s three months almost. So, you know as far as Chase Elliott missing the playoffs, I’m gonna blame it all on the skiing accident,” he concluded.
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However, all eyes are now pivoting towards William Byron and Kyle Larson in the playoff races. Given their current form, could this be the year Hendrick Motorsports clinch the title? What’s your take?
READ MORE: Bubba Wallace’s Crew Chief Blames Chase Elliott for Playoff Distress