Jeff Gordon Drops Surprising “Forced” Claims Behind 26-YO William Byron’s Early NASCAR Success

The new season has kicked off with nothing but celebrations for team owners Justin Marks and Rick Hendrick with their drivers attaining glory early in the season. While Marks seemed excited at the team’s expanding growth, Hendrick Motorsports finds itself in a different boat. After all, the goal of Hendrick’s side is to not grow their foundation but to maintain their status at the top of the tower. With that said, it looks like the team that took Jeff Gordon to Cup Series glory is on the right track, with the HMS vice-chairman shedding light on what makes their star driver, William Byron, such a formidable force.

What is William Byron’s key to perennial success?

It’s no secret that William Byron’s meteoric rise to Cup Series dominance is a story unlike any other. After all, it isn’t every day that a sim racer gets to outright dominate the very teams and drivers that inspired him. If Byron’s insurmountable six Cup wins in the 2023 season weren’t enough to showcase his strong position as one of the title favorites, it’s worth noting that Byron is also the only driver to win nine races in the Next Gen car.

So when NASCAR Live insider, Kim Coon, asked Gordon about what makes Byron such a talented driver, Gordon felt it had more to do with his adaptability. The driver with 93 wins for HMS stated; “Well, nobody has been on a faster trajectory. I think everybody talks about his path being different than most, and when you come up through different type of, styles of driving, whether it be from simulation games to Late Models and Trucks and Xfinity, he’s done it so fast that he’s been forced to have to adapt quickly.”

While many of the current Cup Series drivers have been racing in these stock cars from their very youth, the same isn’t the case for William Byron, who was racing behind a screen for the majority of his developmental years. Still, Byron has showcased great tenacity by handling every battle thrown at him as HMS “forced” the talent to master his craft quickly. Gordon added, “Because he’s been forced into it and has had success, he has confidence in being able to do that.”

But that wasn’t all. Gordon also felt the timing at which Byron entered the world of the Cup Series lined up perfectly. Not only did the 26-year-old get enough time in the 6th generation car to truly understand it, but the fact that it wouldn’t stick around for very long meant Byron wouldn’t get complacent.

Reflecting on this, Gordon shared; “I think with him not really getting too comfortable with the Gen 6 car, it’s made it easier, for a lot of guys that are younger, but also as you mention it, just able to adapt quickly, and I also think that’s a lot of why he has had success because he’s capable of doing that at every level.”

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With that said, it’s safe to say William Byron’s biggest strength is also the very thing that many thought would make him fail in the Cup Series: his unconventional route to success. Still, the HMS driver’s brilliant performances so far this season have given the rest of the crew some great motivation.

Jeff Gordon sets the tone for Hendrick Motorsports’ future

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While William Byron has been delivering stellar results so frequently, the same can’t be said for the entire HMS crew. It’s no secret that Chase Elliott has been struggling for quite a while, even going winless for the last 36 races. However, when Elliott won the first stage of the Ambetter Health 400, it seemed like Byron’s success had rubbed off positively. Jeff Gordon shared how the #24 garage’s performance has helped keep the HMS morale high.

Gordon stated, “Well, of course, we always have high expectations. You know, having two in the final four with a shot at the championship was a big deal and that’s sort of the standard that we’re hoping and looking for. But we also didn’t win the championship, so that motivated all of our teams over the off-season of, ‘How do we improve? How do we get better?’ And I think we typically come into a new season very well prepared, just making a list of how could we have done it even better.”

Speaking of how they could have done things better, Gordon felt that the organisation had immense “depth” with some great people behind the scenes to help the team fix their drawbacks. While HMS had gotten off to a good start, the vice-chairman also shared how the team now had to shift focus toward the development battle. After all, what good is it to be great at the very start if it isn’t carried through to the very end.

Gordon laid out his expectations from the team and wrote, “Now we gotta figure out how do you maintain that and keep pushing throughout the season. I think that’s the thing about this new car that, they’re so equal now, its about development. Not just about development over the off-season but throughout the season, as the playoffs come and you get into the playoffs. How do you just keep trying to find those little tiny areas that you can be a little bit better than your competitors?”

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While some teams are struggling to gain momentum this season, Hendrick Motorsports if focused on roughing out the remaining edges in their path toward another Cup Series title. With that said, do you think Eliott can step up to Byron’s level and balance HMS’ playing field?