Despite Team Penske Seemingly “In Another Zip Code,” William Byron Builds Confidence off P3 Finish at Loudon

Neha Dwivedi | 22/09/2025
Nov 10, 2024; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron (left) with Jeff Gordon during the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

William Byron carried the banner for Hendrick Motorsports with a third-place finish, snapping a string of subpar outings in the opening round of the playoffs. Still, the effort paled in comparison to Team Penske’s stranglehold at New Hampshire, where Joey Logano snared the pole and Ryan Blaney sealed the deal in victory lane.

After finishing 21st, 11th, and 12th at Darlington, Gateway, and Bristol, respectively, Byron’s top-three at Loudon felt like a breath of fresh air for the No. 24 camp. He admitted, “It was a good day overall for this No. 24 Raptor Chevrolet team. I felt like a lot of things that we’ve just kind of been building on for the short-tracks were working for us.”

“I feel like New Hampshire Motor Speedway has been tricky for me in the Cup car… We had a couple of weak runs in Stage One and the start of Stage Two. But once we got that out of the way, I felt like we were really strong. The Penske guys were super-fast, like they were in another zip code. But I felt like, other than that, we were really competitive. Just really proud of our team.”

 

Byron acknowledged New Hampshire has long been a stumbling block in his Cup career, yet Sunday’s result marked steady progress and proof that the team can now “stack runs together” across stages. The No. 24 driver stressed that if they keep building, the short-track program will soon fall into place.

Rolling off fifth, Byron kept his Chevrolet in the thick of the fight all afternoon. He finished third in both Stage 1 and Stage 2, banking critical stage points that magnified the impact of his podium run. By day’s end, the combination of stage and finishing points turned his third-place into a statement performance.

With that effort, Byron jumped to second in the playoff standings, 47 points above the cutline. He now trails only Blaney, who locked himself into the Round of 8 with his Mobil 1 301 win, and stands ahead of teammates Kyle Larson at +41 and Chase Elliott at +14.

Still, Byron is taking nothing for granted. He knows there is no margin for error, stressing the need to keep his foot on the gas week after week. Looking to Kansas, he hopes to be in the mix for the win, while keeping a one-race-at-a-time approach.

The No. 20 HMS driver finished second there in last year’s playoff race, and a repeat of that type of run would provide a safety net before the unpredictable ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Post Edited By: Nidhi
Ryan Blaney William Byron

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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