“Fans Decide Who the Superstars Are”: NASCAR Insider Wants Fans to Respect William Byron’s Dominance

William Byron is currently all the heat in NASCAR following his victory in Monday’s Daytona 500. The Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) star broke a winless spell that his team was undergoing in the event since 2014 and tied its record with that of Petty Enterprises (9 wins). As he prepares for the next race in Atlanta bathing in stars, Steve Letarte has reminded the fandom of the crucial role it plays going forward.

Letarte was one amongst an NBC Sports panel that discussed Byron’s chances of enjoying NASCAR superstardom. He said during his pitch, “To be quite honest I think the fans decide who the superstars are.” He continued, “He’s done superstar-type things, I agree with Jeff [Burton]. A championship will be the last cherry on top. Last year was a superstar year. Winning the Great American Race is a superstar move.”

For all the belief that Byron has instilled in Letarte, the former HMS crew chief acknowledges that it is the fans who must decide what to make of the driver and wishes that they, “push him to that superstar status.” For years, the #24 Chevrolet team was synonymous with 4X Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon. However, Letarte believes that it isn’t anymore and that Byron has proven himself a worthy successor to the legendary ride.

Has William Byron proven himself worthy of Jeff Gordon’s #24 Camaro?

Around the turn of this century, Hendrick Motorsports Vice-Chairman Jeff Gordon was running riot behind the wheel of the #24 car with wins at every race track in the country. When he retired in 2015, the only question that remained was who would take over the car and protect its legacy. Enter Willy B. The youngster took over the ride in 2018 and won Rookie of the Year honors in his very first year.

Though it took a few seasons for him to find his groove, he did eventually find it in 2023 and found his way to the Championship 4. Now that he has begun his 2024 run with the biggest victory of them all, Gordon couldn’t be more pleased with the man behind his wheel.

He said in an interview on Monday, “I might not have been driving the car tonight, but I felt like I made every lap with our guys. Especially with the #24 and with William in those closing laps when he was out front. To me, when I found out they had won, I honestly was about as excited as I was when I was driving.”

Byron will be hoping to capitalize on the positivity that has been coming in from all ends and garner more victories.