DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Shortly after the first practice of Speedweek on Wednesday, NASCAR Cup Series drivers went through media day festivities at Daytona International Speedway.
As is usually the case, drivers were subjected to questions on a vast array of topics ranging from the DAYTONA 500, the 2025 season, life as a driver and, well, even some silly ones too.
Certainly, Hendrick Motorsports’ drivers were no exception.
Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron and Alex Bowman each took their turn going from station to station as well and during scrums, fielding a myriad of inquiries.
Here’s some of the highlights from what each driver said on Wednesday:
William Byron on four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves competing in the DAYTONA 500: “It is sweet. The funniest thing about that is I look over next to my bus right when I got back from practice, and it’s Helio’s bus. I didn’t even realize that when I got here, but that’s pretty neat to have an Indy 500 champion like that next to you in the bus lot, and then obviously, racing on the racetrack. Yeah, it’s awesome.”
William Byron on driving a car with a good paint scheme: “You know when you’re stepping into a really nice looking race car and something that you’re proud of. Also, the attention and the craft with my guys and how much effort they put into the race car … For me personally, it affects how I feel getting into the race car. Obviously, once I put the helmet on, it is what it is, but I think having a good-looking race car, having a car that your guys have put a lot of effort into, that means a lot.”
Chase Elliott on President Trump attending Sunday’s DAYTONA 500: “I remember, a long time ago now, the sitting president used to call the winner. I don’t know if you all remember that or not, but there (were) some stories of that happening. I’ve never won, so I don’t know if that still happens or not. But I just think that - it just goes to show you that it’s a big deal, right? I don’t care who the President is at that point ... that’s just a cool thing. I had heard stories of that happening and I hope that still goes on.”
Chase Elliott on possibly receiving a phone call from President Trump on Sunday: “That sounds like we would have won the race at that point, so that sounds like a good thing.”
Chase Elliott on the passing of 10 years since his first DAYTONA 500 start: “Yeah, it’s just honestly crazy that it’s been that long, to be honest. It’s just gone by so fast. Every year has felt so different to me. I think people look at careers and they think of just this one big storybook, with every year being a different chapter. And to me, it’s almost like every year is its own book. That’s how different the seasons feel to me. Just so much changes ... I mean, I was 20 or 21 years old my first year, and now I’m almost 30 and just like … how much did your life change from 20 to 30? How much different did you look at things from 20 to 30? That’s just a huge chunk of your life that just makes things feel different, you know? Every year has its own story and it own feel. I’ve enjoyed that ride. Some of its been really good, some of it’s not been so good. But there’s a lot of experiences in all of that that I think can help shape you and mold you to be better, and the only thing you can control is today moving forward.”
Kyle Larson on Jeff Gordon blazing a trail from dirt track racing to NASCAR: “Well, as far as like yeah, he's a pioneer. He was the first real dirt racer I feel like, young too, to make it to NASCAR. Yeah, he definitely paved the way for guys like myself. Especially coming from northern California, my career path really modeled his. Moving from northern California to Indiana, doing USAC stuff, coming to Charlotte. He kind of showed you the way to do it. A lot of people still try to do it that way.
“Very thankful for that even from a long time ago. Now that he's my boss, it's really cool.”
Kyle Larson on what scares him: “My wife.”
Kyle Larson on returning to a Cup Series car after a busy offseason of dirt racing: “It's just good to be back into, the normal routine or what I feel like is the normal routine of the racing season; getting to your scheduled Monday meetings, Thursday meetings, I know I'm flying out on this day, stuff like that. Being around my teammates, that's all the stuff that you miss in the offseason. Even though I'm racing, I still just miss the routine of all that.”
Alex Bowman on his relationship with William Byron: “I don’t think William realizes this, but he’s like the little brother I never had even though he’s had more success than me lately. It’s been a lot of fun coming into Hendrick Motorsports with him and being around and watching his evolution as a driver. I like William a lot. He’s one of my favorite people in the garage.”
Alex Bowman on other drivers pointing to him as the garage’s, “most underrated”: “I certainly appreciate people saying that and I think for me, I have had a lot of success, but I have also had down years where things haven’t gone how I want them to, and the team wants them to. So, I think I have been on both sides of it for sure and we ended it at a good point last year obviously … I don’t want to call myself underrated, I just want to go out and win races and I would rather prove it than say it. But, yeah, just got to go do that.”