AVONDALE, Ariz. – A year older, a year wiser, another year’s worth of experience and yes, William Byron said there are plenty of lessons he’s learned that he’ll carry into his second straight, NASCAR Championship 4 weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
During media day on Thursday, he talked about them.
Well, some of them, anyway.
“A lot of little things,” he explained. “Just how to manage the week. I feel like there’s a lot coming at you. To still enjoy it but to still manage your time and make sure you’re as focused as you can be.
“On the track, there’s things but I can’t tell you.”
The racing world will learn whether those off-the-track efforts and secret on-the-track adjustments will pay off when the green flag drops shortly after 3 p.m. on Sunday. The race is set to air on NBC.
After an eventful Round of 8 finale last week at Martinsville, Byron emerged as the remaining torchbearer for Hendrick Motorsports. He will compete against Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney in an effort to bring home Rick Hendrick’s 15th Cup Series championship to conclude Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary season.
Pressure? Byron said he expected it would come, but sitting on a stool in front of microphones and flashing bulbs, he exuded confidence and a veteran’s tranquility.
“There will be nerves when you get ready to get in the car on Sunday and even get in the car for practice on Friday,” Byron said. “I feel like last year, yes, I was very nervous. But I felt like I excelled with those nerves.
“I feel less pressure but at the same time, it’s more about the result. Last year, it was an honor to be in the Championship 4. It felt good to be here. But this year it feels like we know what the goal is, it’s to win the championship and anything short of that is not going to be fun.”
Last year, Byron took the pole and won the first stage before fading to finish fourth in the race and third in the championship standings. It capped a year in which he led the Cup Series with six wins and earned his first Championship 4 berth.
There are some differences this season. For one, Byron is the lone Hendrick Motorsports entry while last year, Kyle Larson made the Championship 4 as well, finishing second in the standings to Blaney.
This year, it’s Blaney who enters with a Team Penske teammate also still eligible in Logano. Byron looks at that shift as a possible edge heading into Sunday.
“I feel like (Logano and Blaney) have to focus on each other and for us, it's really all about the 24, so I do feel like it’s an advantage,” Byron said. “We have worked super closely on the setup this week with all the other teammates we have at (Hendrick Motorsports), so that’s one thing. I feel like the hands on the car, we don’t have the dilemma of what Penske has where they’re trying to prep two cars. It’s just all focused on the 24. So, I feel like there were a lot of hands on deck at the shop this week, which is cool to see.”
Over the course of his half hour Q and A, Byron fielded a variety of questions ranging from his prerace meal (chicken, rice and broccoli) to his history at Phoenix Raceway.
And yet, when it came down to it, he repeated his singular purpose this weekend and the motivation behind his business-like attitude.
“Just competing for my team, that’s the 24 team first and foremost, and then competing for a shop’s worth of employees,” Byron said. “We have everyone working on our car and everyone kind of pulling the rope in the same direction, so that’s what comes to my mind is trying to win for my guys. That’s first and foremost.”