What appeared to be a blockbuster story has deflated like a wet balloon. William Byron is one of the most happening Cup Series stars at present, holding 14 victories at NASCAR’s highest level. The latest addition to his arsenal happened just last weekend at the Daytona 500. So when rumors about this megastar from motorsports dating another mega-celebrity from the world of pop music emerged, fans were flabbergasted.

Yes, rumors about William Byron going out with pop-favorite Sabrina Carpenter blew up the internet just a few days ago. People, including the NASCAR social media team, gobbled up the story like a delicious snack. However, Byron himself let them know with a laugh what a waste of time that was.

William Byron has the last laugh at rumormongers

The way this story kicked off was equally sensational. A parody account, ‘The Daily Downfords’, posted a fabricated picture online of William Byron, sending a flirtatious message on one of Sabrina Carpenter’s posts. This stirred up a lot of buzz on the internet, given Carpenter’s star-studded resume. She won two Grammy awards recently, including ‘Best Pop Vocal Album’ for Short n’ Sweet and ‘Best Pop Solo Performance’ for her summer hit Espresso. However, this glittering union turned out to be a big hoax.

Although other celebrities would have reacted harshly to doctored social media posts, William Byron took it lightly. He hailed the Downfords’ photoshopping abilities and compared them to the NBA Central Account parody account, NBA Centel. This was hardly enough to stop the buzz around Byron’s new dating rumors. So when the media recently asked him if Byron had asked out Sabrina Carpenter, his first reaction was a big laugh. Then he proceeded to say, “That’s a good one. No, it was cool to have some fun with that.”

Evidently, William Byron handled this fake blockbuster story quite calmly. His words must be leaving legions of fans with long faces right now. If the rumors had been true, it could have boosted NASCAR’s ratings. For example, Tayler Swift’s relationship with Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce generated an additional $331.5 Million for an already rich NFL. Yet Byron did not brush off his rumored association entirely, as he welcomed the idea of mingling. Either he or Sabrina could visit their respective trades: “Maybe we can get her out to a race or something, that would be great. Or I can get to a show. That would be fun.”

Yet William Byron’s past relationship looms in the background. One that had helped him foster good relations with a Cup Series rival.

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Forging greater bonds

William Byron’s dating life hit the news long before the Sabrina Carpenter rumor blew up. The HMS driver had been dating Erin Blaney, the daughter of ex-NASCAR driver Dave Blaney and the sister of 2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney. Their relationship sprung up in 2019 and continued until 2024 when reports of their break-up appeared on social media. But while Byron was still with Blaney, he could foster good garage relations because of his off-track activities. Ryan Blaney belongs to another team and another OEM and yet developed a blooming family dynamic with Byron.

Back in 2023, William Byron clarified his intentions to race Ryan Blaney to the maximum on the track. But off the track, they shared a respectful bond. “We’re both gonna be going for it on Sunday and trying to win, so nothing changes there. But yeah, when we get off the track, I mean, we spend time together and hang out. And so I’d say it’s like two different dynamics, but at the same time, I think that off-the-track relationship allows us to race with good respect and also good trust and race hard.”

Blaney echoed these words: “I’ve gotten the pleasure of getting to know him, kind of more in-depth with him, the relationship side of that piece. Yeah, he comes from a great family. He’s a good kid. Awesome race car driver. Him and I have a lot of respect for each other.” 

Although William Byron no longer dates Erin Blaney, he still fosters a good bond with the latter’s brother. Something that he will be grateful to Erin Blaney for helping him experience.