Hendrick Motorsports’ 26-year-old upstart enjoyed a breakout Cup season in which he dominated in virtually every category but one – winning the series title.
In his sixth full-time season, Byron took career-bests in victories (six), top-five finishes (15), top-10s (21) and laps led (1016). His season-high win tally came from successes on short tracks, intermediates, superspeedways and road courses, illustrating his versatility.
Byron qualified for the Championship 4 at Phoenix for the first time. He led 95 of 312 laps, but Ryan Blaney ended up the highest finishing driver of the four contenders to earn the title.
Hendrick’s new star
William Byron enjoyed a breakout NASCAR Cup season in 2023 but to him and his team owner, Rick Hendrick, it hopefully is just a taste of what’s to come.
Photo by: Gavin Baker / NKP / Motorsport Images
Byron underlined his versatility by winning on all different types of circuit, including at the Watkins Glen road course, as he emerged into a title contender
While Byron has now won races in four consecutive seasons, this year was the first in which he showed consistency from start to finish. While the former iRacing standout failed to cap the year with his first Cup title, Byron and his #24 Hendrick team were clear threats throughout the season at virtually every stop.
Asked the key to his successful season, Byron said: “Just trusting our process. As a team, we gained confidence, and we got a great group. We worked hard together, and we had all the tools and resources from Mr. Hendrick and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports to do our jobs.
“We went out there and were able to capitalise on a lot of things. I enjoyed it, but at the same time, I’m hungry for a lot more.”
“His work ethic is so impressive. I just felt like if he was in the right spot with the right people, he was going to do great things. It turned out to be that way” Rick Hendrick
Byron’s path up the NASCAR ladder has been relatively quick and included championships in the Xfinity Series (2017), what is now ARCA East (2014), Legends Cars (2012), as well as multiple victories in Late Models and NASCAR Trucks. All the while, Byron’s owner was impressed with his ability to be a quick study.
“The thing about William I was so impressed with is how quickly he learned,” Hendrick said. “His work ethic is so impressive. I just felt like if he was in the right spot with the right people, he was going to do great things. It turned out to be that way.
“I think William is a good poster [guy] for a lot of young people that have ambitions to be in racing that if work as hard as he’s worked, you can get there.”
Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images
“Trusting the process” has been key to Byron’s success with Hendrick in 2023