CONCORD, N.C. – Undoubtedly, William Byron was fortunate to miss two late crashes down the stretch of the 67th DAYTONA 500 on Sunday.
Was there a little luck involved? Maybe. But it’s far from an accident that Byron continues to be in the right place at the right, every time Hendrick Motorsports is on the doorstep of another landmark win.
And certainly, Sunday’s qualifies as that. Byron’s second straight victory in the Great American Race gave Hendrick Motorsports 10, pushing it past a tie with Petty Enterprises for the most all time. Now, the organization owns the most victories in all four NASCAR Cup Series crown jewel races along with the Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500 and Brickyard 400.
“That’s amazing, what an accomplishment by Hendrick Motorsports and all the men and women through the years,” company president and general manager, Jeff Andrews, said. “Ten DAYTONA 500 wins – that’s incredible.”
There have been several incredible victories for the organization over the last two seasons plus – the 300th victory at Texas Motor Speedway, the 2024 DAYTONA win to get into a tie for first, a victory in the organization’s 40th anniversary race at Martinsville last spring – and they all have one commonality: William Byron delivered them.
A knack for succeeding in clutch moments is anything but a happenstance and it’s a trait Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick identified in Byron early on when he signed him as an 18-year-old in 2016. And Hendrick believes that penchant for rising to the occasion coupled with the unrelenting pursuit of perfection will keep the 27-year-old in the hunt when it matters most for years to come.
“I called him to say, ‘Hey man, congratulations,’ and the first thing he said was, ‘We’ve got some work to do. I’m not where I need to be on short tracks,’” Hendrick said. “He won’t let himself rest on his accomplishments. You can see it in him. Once he’s done it, he’s on to what he’s got to do next. And that’s the way his whole life has been.
“A lot of drivers rely on their natural talent to go win. William is never satisfied with what he’s accomplished because he knows he’s not as good as he should be somewhere else. It’s perfection that he’s looking for and it’s driving him to work harder. You’d think (Monday) would be a day he’d be celebrating winning back-to-back DAYTONA 500s. He’s saying, ‘I’ve got work to do, I’ve got to get better.’”
He’s continued to do just that, now starting off his eighth full-time season the same way he started his seventh: with a win at Daytona International Speedway. And Byron has done it all while driving the No. 24 car, one of the most iconic numbers in the sport’s history. Since 2022, he's piloted that car under the watchful eye of the man who drove it to 93 wins, Jeff Gordon, who became the organization's vice chairman in 2022.
In the postrace media session after Sunday’s victory, Gordon was asked about Byron, his continuance of the 24’s legacy and his ascension up the ranks of the Cup Series’ best.
“I love to see the 24 team continue to have success, and Hendrick Motorsports in general,” Gordon said. “But I think it's more special because I've gotten to know William, and he's just a good guy, and this is a dream come true for him. It's been a pretty fast rise to get here, but it hasn't come without a lot of hard work. And he puts in the work, and there's nobody more appreciative of it, as well.
“I'm just proud of him. I know the fans that I get to interact with, there was a period of time where they were sad that I was not in (the 24 car), and I can see their excitement now that that legacy continues on because of what William and the team are doing.”
“You guys have witnessed it and seen it. We talk all the time about how quickly he's risen through the ranks and won races and championships and continues to do it at the elite level in Cup.”
With the victory, Byron surpassed Gordon by becoming the youngest driver to ever win the DAYTONA 500 twice. And Gordon is just fine with having his records broken by Byron.
“Hope he breaks them all. I’m in full support of that.”
But Byron has a way to go before that happens – around 79 more wins and a handful of championships, in fact. However, at the rate he’s going, who knows where the numbers end up by the time Byron is done.
“He wants to turn the page and get on with getting better, it’s a very good trait for somebody as young as he is and where he is in life,” Hendrick said. “I think he cares about being a champion and being better because he wants to be looked at as one of the top guys in the sport.”