DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Daytona International Speedway has been a Jekyll and Hyde track for William Byron in his NASCAR Cup Series career.
His two best runs at the venue have come in the summer event. The 25-year-old scored his first win in the 2020 race and a runner-up finish in 2019. The driver of the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 earned his first pole in the sport's top series ahead of the 2019 DAYTONA 500 and also took victory in one of the Daytona Duel races in 2020.
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On the other hand, the DAYTONA 500 has been a completely different story for the sixth-year driver. In his first five starts, he has yet to finish inside the top 20. Byron is keenly aware of those stats and is striving to put that to an end.
"I need to get to the end," Byron said. "That’s the goal this year. I think watching races back and seeing what guys do and what moves they make (in the final laps). The biggest decision is where you restart with the choose now. The choose is going to be crazy on superspeedways. I think you’re going to see a lot of dynamic changes there. It’s going to help the lines go forward on the first lap. There’s a lot of energy in that first lap."
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Teamwork, not just among organizational teammates, but with each manufacturer is crucial when it comes to finding success at superspeedways. There is very much a strength in numbers aspect when it comes to that style of racing.
"We’ve had speed here," Byron said. "We know the deal. It’s a lot of good fortune but you have to have enough cars for the fight at the end to put up a good chance at it. We need as many Chevys at the end that we can have. That comes down to strategy, it comes down to decisions as a driver and making sure we don’t make any dumb decisions that put ourselves at jeopardy. I want as many Chevys at the end as possible because it’s going to make my job easier."
Last season on drafting tracks (Daytona, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway), Byron earned the first win on the repaved and reconfigured Atlanta track. His 193 laps led in those races were the most among all Cup Series drivers.
The win at the Georgia facility was one of two that Byron earned in 2022 for his multi-win season at the Cup Series level. In the playoffs, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native made his deepest postseason run yet – reaching the Round of 8 – and finished a career-best sixth in the standings.
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Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle are entering their third year together in the series. The team leader is focused on seeing the group continue to grow, push forward and make gains up the board to be a constant contender.
"If you’re looking behind you on who’s going to climb in and take your spot, you’re probably looking the wrong way," Fugle told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio this week. "The last two years we’ve been 10th in the standings and sixth in the standings. We are wanting to keep climbing, make that final four and have a shot to win that championship in the last race. That’s been our goal all offseason is just to keep climbing, keep striving and head up and forward towards those big goals.
"William’s ascension to where he’s gotten, how much he’s grown, how much of an experienced young race car driver he is right now, he’s fully ready. This race team is ready as well. Hendrick Motorsports has been doing a great job. We’ve had great cars and a great team. We’re ready to go tackle the year one race at a time."
RELATED: Fast facts, tune-in info for Daytona
Tune in to watch the Daytona Duels on Thursday starting at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90). The 2023 DAYTONA 500 will get underway on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
