William Byron (racing driver)

William McComas Byron Jr.[1] (born November 29, 1997) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Hendrick Motorsports. He won the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Championship and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award in the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. The following season he won both the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship and 2017 Sunoco Rookie of the Year. Byron also won the 2018 MENCS Sunoco Rookie of the Year award.[2]

William Byron
Byron at Dover International Speedway in 2019
Born	William McComas Byron Jr. November 29, 1997 Charlotte, North Carolina
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	154 lb (70 kg)
Achievements	2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Champion Most wins by a rookie in the Truck Series (7) 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion 2019 Daytona 500 pole winner 2020 Bluegreen Vacations Duel winner 2020 Coke Zero Sugar 400 winner
Awards	2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Rookie of the Year 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Cup Series career
108 races run over 3 years
Car no., team	No. 24 (Hendrick Motorsports)
2020 position	14th
Best finish	11th (2019)
First race	2018 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
Last race	2020 Season Finale 500 (Phoenix)
First win	2020 Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Daytona)
Wins Top tens Poles 1 31 5
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
33 races run over 1 year
2017 position	1st
Best finish	1st (2017)
First race	2017 PowerShares QQQ 300 (Daytona)
Last race	2017 Ford EcoBoost 300 (Homestead)
First win	2017 American Ethanol E15 250 (Iowa)
Last win	2017 Ticket Galaxy 200 (Phoenix)
Wins Top tens Poles 4 22 2
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career
24 races run over 2 years
2016 position	5th
Best finish	5th (2016)
First race	2015 Lucas Oil 150 (Phoenix)
Last race	2016 Ford EcoBoost 200 (Homestead)
First win	2016 Toyota Tundra 250 (Kansas)
Last win	2016 Ford EcoBoost 200 (Homestead)
Wins Top tens Poles 7 16 3
Statistics current as of November 8, 2020.

Racing career

Beginnings

Byron became interested in racing when he was six years old after seeing a stock car race on television, later attending a race at Martinsville Speedway in 2006. He began racing on the iRacing simulator as a teenager with over 100 wins and 298 top fives in online competition.

In 2012, he and his father explored how Byron could start racing offline, in real cars. He started racing Legends that year at the age of 15, relatively late for modern drivers. That year he won 33 races and became the Legend Car Young Lions Division champion.[3][4][5][6]

For 2014, Byron signed with JR Motorsports late model program, in addition to continuing Legends competition. Byron competed in the No. 9 Liberty University Chevrolet at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina for JRM.[3][4][7] Byron scored a single victory and 11 top-five finishes, finishing second in points to teammate Josh Berry at Hickory.[7]

K&N Pro Series

Byron at the K&N Pro Series West race at Sonoma in 2015

Byron was signed to drive in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East for 2015 by HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks, with sponsorship from Liberty University.[8] Byron also continued racing late models for JR Motorsports.[3] In his debut K&N East in February at New Smyrna Speedway, Byron finished 7th.[9] Byron won the second race of the season at Greenville-Pickens Speedway after starting second and leading all 152 laps (two laps past the scheduled distance).[3] Byron made his ARCA Racing Series debut at Lucas Oil Raceway in July, driving the No. 55 Liberty University Toyota Camry for Venturini Motorsports. Byron finished second after leading 120 laps. He scored four K&N East wins en route to winning the series championship.[10] Byron and his team also competed in the 2015 K&N Pro Series West races at Sonoma and Phoenix, finishing fifth and second respectively.[11]

Camping World Truck Series

On October 29, 2015, Kyle Busch Motorsports announced that Byron would run a full-time schedule in the team's No. 9 Toyota Tundra in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series during the 2016 season.[12] To prepare him for the run, KBM fielded the No. 9 for him in the 2015 Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway.[13][14] Byron started the 2016 season on a low note crashing on the final lap at Daytona to finish 13th, and finishing 32nd at Atlanta after blowing an engine. Later, Byron would get his first top 3 and 10 in the Truck Series after finishing a strong 3rd at Martinsville. Byron won his first Truck Series race at Kansas in May, after avoiding Ben Rhodes and Johnny Sauter's crash on the last lap of the race, and took his second race win in Texas in June. He won the next race at Iowa, finished 17th at Gateway due to a crash, and won yet again at Kentucky, propelling him to first in points. He followed that up with his fifth win of the season at Pocono Raceway, breaking the Camping World Truck Series record for most wins by a rookie. The previous mark was held by Kurt Busch during the 2000 season with four wins.[15]

During the playoffs, Byron won the first race of the Round of 8 at New Hampshire but suffered an engine failure at the last race of the Round of 6 at Phoenix, which cost him the chance to join the Championship 4. With a win at the final race at Homestead, he placed fifth in the overall standings, with a total seven wins, eleven top 5s, and 16 top 10s in 23 races. In addition to clinching the owners' championship for the No. 9 team, Byron was named Rookie of the Year.[16]

Xfinity Series

Byron's No. 9 at Road America in 2017

On August 18, 2016, Byron and Hendrick Motorsports announced they had signed a multi-year driver agreement, with Byron running full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driving the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro SS for JR Motorsports in 2017.[17] Byron finished 2nd at Michigan, just losing out to Denny Hamlin.[18] One week later, Byron won his first career race at Iowa[19] after Christopher Bell wrecked late in the race, battling for a win with Ryan Sieg, who eventually placed second.[20] He ended up winning again the week later in an overtime finish at Daytona.[21] Byron also won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the third Xfinity victory of his career;[22] he would add a fourth win when the series visited Phoenix for the penultimate race of the season.[23] The Phoenix win also placed Byron among the four drivers eligible to race for the series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway.[24] At the final race in Homestead, Byron held off his Championship 4 teammate Elliott Sadler in the final laps to win the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship.[25]

Cup Series

Byron's No. 24 during the 2018 Toyota/Save Mart 350

On August 9, 2017, Hendrick Motorsports announced Byron would be the new replacement for Kasey Kahne in the No. 5 car in 2018,[26] while continuing current sponsorship with Axalta Coating Systems and Liberty University.[27] Twenty days later, however, HMS announced Byron would instead drive the No. 24, while Chase Elliott moved to the rebranded No. 9 car. Byron inherited Kahne's No. 5 team, including crew chief Darian Grubb.[28] On October 10, 2018, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Grubb will move on to a technical director position while Chad Knaus takes over crew chief duties for Byron and the No. 24 in 2019.[29] Byron clinched Rookie of the Year honors after the penultimate race of the year at ISM Raceway, becoming the second driver next to Erik Jones to win Rookie of the Year in consecutive seasons in each of the three national series[2]

Byron started the 2019 season on a strong note as he won the Daytona 500 pole, heading a Hendrick lockout of the first two rows.[30] His consistency in the regular season landed him in the playoffs for the first time in his career. Byron finished sixth at the Charlotte Roval to advance to the Round of 12.[31] He was eliminated in the Round of 12 after the Kansas race.[32]

In Duel 2 of the 2020 Bluegreen Vacations Duels, Byron scored the win to start fourth in the Daytona 500.[33] He scored his first career Cup victory at the track in August at the Coke Zero Sugar 400, avoiding various wrecks and winning in overtime to advance to the playoffs.[34] Byron, however, was eliminated following the third round at Bristol after finishing 38th due to an accident.[35]

Earlier in 2020, Byron signed an extension to his contract with Hendrick Motorsports through the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Season.

Personal life

Byron was born the younger of two children in Charlotte, North Carolina.[9] He attended Charlotte Country Day School while taking online classes through sponsor Liberty University, graduating in May 2016. Byron is also currently a student at Liberty University earning his college degree,[36] majoring in business communication.[37] Byron is an Eagle Scout.[38]

Byron is a Christian. Byron has said, “I feel like getting into racing was God’s plan for me, so I can spread my faith through the racing garage and with race fans — that’s why it’s been so special.”[39]

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	NCSC	Pts	Ref
2018	Hendrick Motorsports	24	Chevy	DAY 23	ATL 18	LVS 27	PHO 12	CAL 15	MAR 20	TEX 10	BRI 18	RCH 12	TAL 29	DOV 14	KAN 33	CLT 39	POC 18	MCH 13	SON 25	CHI 20	DAY 32	KEN 20	NHA 14	POC 6	GLN 8	MCH 36	BRI 23	DAR 35	IND 19	LVS 37	RCH 20	CLT 34	DOV 19	TAL 20	KAN 38	MAR 39	TEX 16	PHO 9	HOM 24	23rd	587	[40]
2019				DAY 21	ATL 17	LVS 16	PHO 24	CAL 15	MAR 22	TEX 6	BRI 16	RCH 13	TAL 21	DOV 8	KAN 20	CLT 9	POC 9	MCH 18	SON 19	CHI 8	DAY 2	KEN 18	NHA 12	POC 4	GLN 21	MCH 8	BRI 21	DAR 21	IND 4	LVS 7	RCH 24	CLT 6	DOV 13	TAL 33	KAN 5	MAR 2	TEX 17	PHO 17	HOM 39	11th	2275	[41]
2020				DAY 40	LVS 22	CAL 15	PHO 10	DAR 35	DAR 12	CLT 20	CLT 12	BRI 8	ATL 33	MAR 8	HOM 9	TAL 11	POC 14	POC 7	IND 27	KEN 11	TEX 37	KAN 10	NHA 11	MCH 14	MCH 12	DAY 8	DOV 28	DOV 4	DAY 1	DAR 5	RCH 21	BRI 38	LVS 25	TAL 4	CLT 6*	KAN 8	TEX 13	MAR 35	PHO 9	14th	2247	[42]
2021				DAY	DAY	HOM	LVS	PHO	ATL	BRI	MAR	RCH	TAL	KAN	DAR	DOV	COA	CLT	SON	NSH	POC	POC	ROA	ATL	NHA	GLN	IND	MCH	DAY	DAR	RCH	BRI	LVS	TAL	CLT	TEX	KAN	MAR	PHO

Daytona 500

Year	Team	Manufacturer	Start	Finish
2018	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	33	23
2019			1	21
2020			4	40
2021

Xfinity Series

NASCAR Xfinity Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	NXSC	Pts	Ref
2017	JR Motorsports	9	Chevy	DAY 9	ATL 7	LVS 14	PHO 4	CAL 5	TEX 7	BRI 12	RCH 30	TAL 36	CLT 14	DOV 6	POC 12	MCH 2	IOW 1	DAY 1*	KEN 7	NHA 3	IND 1	IOW 9	GLN 10	MOH 25	BRI 22	ROA 6	DAR 5	RCH 7	CHI 33	KEN 18	DOV 3	CLT 16	KAN 4	TEX 9	PHO 1	HOM 3	1st	4034	[43]

Camping World Truck Series

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	NCWTC	Pts	Ref
2015	Kyle Busch Motorsports	9	Toyota	DAY	ATL	MAR	KAN	CLT	DOV	TEX	GTW	IOW	KEN	ELD	POC	MCH	BRI	MSP	CHI	NHA	LVS	TAL	MAR	TEX	PHO 31	HOM	78th	13	[44]
2016				DAY 13	ATL 32	MAR 3	KAN 1	DOV 11*	CLT 10	TEX 1	IOW 1*	GTW 17*	KEN 1*	ELD 14	POC 1*	BRI 4	MCH 4	MSP 10	CHI 30	NHA 1*	LVS 5	TAL 10	MAR 8	TEX 6	PHO 27*	HOM 1	5th	2199	[45]

K&N Pro Series East

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	NKNPSEC	Pts	Ref
2015	HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks	9	Chevy	NSM 7	GRE 1*	BRI 2	IOW 1*	BGS 15	LGY 1*	COL 14	NHA 1	IOW 13	GLN 7	MOT 8*	VIR 10	RCH 6	DOV 9	1st	546	[46]

K&N Pro Series West

NASCAR K&N Pro Series West results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	NKNPSWC	Pts	Ref
2015	HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks	91	Chevy	KCR	IRW	TUS	IOW	SHA	SON 5	SLS	IOW	EVG	CNS	MER	AAS	PHO 2		35th	70	[11]
2018	Jefferson Pitts Racing	27	Chevy	KCR	TUS	TUS	OSS	CNS	SON 3	DCS	IOW	EVG	GTW	LVS	MER	AAS	KCR	32nd	41	[47]

ARCA Racing Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Racing Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	ARSC	Pts	Ref
2015	Venturini Motorsports	55	Toyota	DAY	MOB	NSH	SLM	TAL	TOL	NJE	POC	MCH	CHI	WIN	IOW	IRP 2*	POC	BLN	ISF	DSF	SLM	KEN 32	KAN	76th	305	[48]
2016				DAY 2	NSH	SLM	TAL	TOL	NJE															58th	415	[49]
		15								POC 8	MCH	MAD	WIN	IOW	IRP	POC	BLN	ISF	DSF	SLM	CHI	KEN	KAN

^* Season still in progress
¹ Ineligible for series points

References

1. Willis, Ken (July 2, 2017). "Five takeaways from NASCAR's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona". The Providence Journal. Retrieved October 22, 2019. William McComas Byron II might look like a name fit for British royalty, but the 19-year-old North Carolina native is actually a budding speed king.
2. "William Byron clinches Sunoco Rookie of the Year". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media LLC. November 11, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
3. Williams, Deb. "From online to on-track competition, Byron quickly finds success". ThatsRacin. The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
4. Press Release (January 17, 2014). "JRM Adds William Byron to Late Model Program for 2014". jrmracing.com. Mooresville, North Carolina: JR Motorsports. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
5. "From Virtual to Victory Lane, William Byron Takes the Jack in the Box Summer Shootout Series by Storm". charlottemotorspeedway.com. Charlotte Motor Speedway. June 19, 2014. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
6. Levine, Steven (April 14, 2015). "Get To Know William Byron". nascar.com. NASCAR Illustrated. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
7. "Driver: William Byron". jrmracing.com. JR Motorsports. 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
8. Associated Press (December 11, 2014). "Ganassi and Harry Scott to field 1 Xfinity entry". USA Today. Charlotte, North Carolina. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
9. "William Byron". NASCAR Home Tracks. NASCAR. Archived from the original on 1 August 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
10. Utter, Jim (October 3, 2015). "William Byron is heading to Trucks after winning K&N East championship: For all practical purposes, William Byron's racing career is just getting started". motorsport.com. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
11. "William Byron – 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
12. Utter, Jim (October 29, 2015). "Kyle Busch Motorsports' 2016 lineup to feature several newcomers". Motorsport.com. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
13. "ABREU, BYRON TO MAKE TRUCK DEBUTS AT PHOENIX". NASCAR. November 6, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
14. "Byron Makes Truck Series Debut for KBM at Phoenix". Kyle Busch Motorsports. November 10, 2015. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
15. Utter, Jim (July 30, 2016). "Rookie William Byron takes record-breaking fifth win". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
16. "WILLIAM BYRON WINS AT MIAMI; SAUTER CLAIMS 2016 TITLE". NASCAR. November 18, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
17. Utter, Jim (August 18, 2016). "Hendrick Motorsports signs Truck star Byron to multi-year deal". Motorsport.com. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
18. Albert, Zack (June 17, 2017). "Byron learns lessons from oh-so-close near win at Michigan". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
19. "William Byron wins in Iowa for first Xfinity victory". USA Today. Gannett Company. Associated Press. June 25, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
20. Kraft, RJ (June 25, 2017). "Ryan Sieg logs career-best finish in Iowa". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
21. Spencer, Lee (July 1, 2017). "William Byron escapes carnage and wins Daytona Xfinity race". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
22. Utter, Jim (July 22, 2017). "William Byron claims "humbling" NASCAR Xfinity win at Indianapolis". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
23. Utter, Jim (November 11, 2017). "William Byron finds Phoenix redemption with Xfinity win". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
24. DeGroot, Nick (November 11, 2017). "Championship 4 grid set for the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Phoenix". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
25. Utter, Jim (November 18, 2017). "Custer wins, Byron crowned Xfinity champion after heated battle". us.motorsport.com. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
26. Utter, Jim (August 8, 2017). "William Byron to replace Kahne at Hendrick Motorsports in 2018". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
27. "Byron to compete in Cup Series beginning in 2018". Hendrick Motorsports. Charlotte, North Carolina. August 9, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
28. Jayski's Silly Season Site (August 29, 2017). "Chase Elliott to drive the #9 in 2018; William Byron in the #24". ESPN. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
29. Albert, Zack (October 10, 2018). "Chad Knaus to serve as crew chief for Byron, No. 24 team in 2019". NASCAR. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
30. Albert, Zack (February 10, 2019). "Byron, Knaus provide fresh, new look to Hendrick's pole-day dominance". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
31. "NASCAR Playoffs: Round of 12 set after Charlotte Roval". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. September 29, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
32. "NASCAR Playoffs: Round of 8 set after Kansas". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. October 20, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
33. "Logano, Byron win Bluegreen Vacations Duel races at Daytona". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
34. Kelly, Godwin (August 29, 2020). "William Byron powers through racing storm to score Coke Zero Sugar 400 victory". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
35. Albert, Zack (September 20, 2020). "Bowyer advances at Bristol; Custer, Byron, Blaney, DiBenedetto ousted from playoffs". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
36. "LU student and NASCAR driver William Byron claims his first Xfinity Series victory | Liberty University".
37. "270: William Byron - The Next Big Thing". Player.fm. Dirty Mo Media. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
38. Spencer, Lee (August 9, 2017). "William Byron knows move to Cup will be "challenging"". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved November 11, 2017. But I think what impressed me [Hendrick] probably more than anything about William, his last year as a senior at Country Day, he won the K&N Series, he was an honor student and was taking college courses and he became an Eagle Scout.
39. Doering, Joshua. "Reigning NASCAR Rookie of the Year William Byron on the pole for Daytona 500". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
40. "William Byron – 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
41. "William Byron – 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
42. "William Byron – 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
43. "William Byron – 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
44. "William Byron – 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
45. "William Byron – 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
46. "William Byron – 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
47. "Driver William Byron 2018 NASCR K&N Pro Series East results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
48. "William Byron – 2015 ARCA Racing Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
49. "William Byron – 2016 ARCA Racing Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved October 28, 2017.

External links

• William Byron driver statistics at Racing-Reference