The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season started with William Byron winning this year’s running of the famed Daytona 500. Since then, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has won two further races and has established himself as a strong contender for the championship.
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The sport is currently on a two-week break owing to this year’s Paris Olympics, during which teams and drivers recharge to get into the mindset for the final part of the regular season. While the #24 driver doesn’t need to win any more races in the regular season, going into the playoffs with momentum is crucial.
William Byron is the first driver since Kyle Busch in 2019 to win 3 of the first 8 races. pic.twitter.com/NLfIe7zfOz
— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) April 7, 2024
However, before getting into race-winning mindset, the important thing is for the drivers to relax. That’s exactly what Byron aims to do as he has planned a vacation with his family. The #24 Chevrolet driver will also be watching The Olympic Games, especially the swimming competitions to take his mind off racing for a while.
“I have a trip planned with my family, so that’ll be fun. I’m looking forward to that. But other than that, just try to really reset. But also it’s a chance to work and get better for the homestretch there. Definitely going to take that time to reset mentally and recharge, but still kind of work on the physical side and also the mental side to make sure that we’re ready,” he said in a media interaction.
It has been quite a while since Byron has won a race as the regular season nears its end. He has three wins under his belt but they all came towards the beginning of the season. The last time he won was in April at Martinsville.
He will be looking to visit victory lane once again before the Round of 16 kicks off to give himself and his crew a further momentum boost towards the business end of the year.
Kevin Harvick’s thoughts on Byron’s frustrations
It was not a good day for the driver of the #24 car last time out at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was running fairly well up until stage 2 when he crashed. The incident happened due to Chase Briscoe’s move and the Hendrick Motorsports star did not mask his disappointment. He called the Stewart-Haas Racing driver a “squirrel back in the pack” and this sparked a reaction from Kevin Harvick on his podcast.
“Well, like I say this, this rewind button for me is very dangerous, and you know, I think when I hear William Byron’s interviews, he’s very frustrated because he feels like his cars are running good. I think in this scenario, when they wreck here, he’s, as he put it, back there with the squirrels. He was very frustrated with Chase Briscoe,” he said.
Byron‘s 2024 showing has not been the same as his performances from last year. He won seven races in 2023 and looked like one of the best amongst the competition. It’s not surprising that he isn’t satisfied with three race wins this year. Considering how well the HMS cars have been running, the 26-year-old will be hoping for a victory soon.
