William Byron came home with a well-deserved third-place finish in Talladega on Sunday. The result made him the first playoff driver to qualify for the Round of 8 and he can now go to race in the Charlotte Roval without pressure.
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But his performance this weekend carried more meaning than it seems on the outside, for the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports driver made a strong statement with it.
For the past few seasons, a narrative has been spun around him. It goes that he can only win races in the first half of the season and will fall into a slump once summer comes and the playoffs transpire.
Byron touched upon this before the Talladega race and noted why it is a baseless story considering that he has been performing no differently than the others in the garage over the season.
His championship march continues!
With today’s results at @TALLADEGA, @WilliamByron clinches a spot in the Round of 8! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/oukMhBLLjf
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 6, 2024
However, his lack of results in recent weeks still stood against him without any reason to be backed with. He has four finishes outside the top 15 in the last seven races.
Fortunately, the last two weekends saw him bounce back from the dullness and produce results worthy of his caliber. He finished second in Kansas and has now doubled down on it with another top-5 finish in Talladega.
Byron could potentially have gone for a second place or even a win in the final laps of Sunday’s race but was clever to not do so. He chose to play behind as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Brad Keselowski cruised to the finish line ahead of him.
A big wreck had just played out moments earlier with five of the scheduled laps to go in the race and him choosing cautiousness over ambition was a rewarding strategy.
Is Byron being treated differently than his teammates?
The 26-year-old told the press before the race that he felt like he was being treated differently when it came to analyzing results. While generic criticisms aren’t something that bothers him, ones without proper backing are. He said, “It doesn’t bother me that people say or notice but it bothers me that we’re not that much different than any other team.”
Byron secured a Round of 8 seat ahead of his teammates, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott. To still be considered an underdog and to still have false stories being spun around his performances is not something he takes lightly. Results like the one in Talladega are the most effective defense against such attacks.
The young driver has his eyes fixed on the goal, which is the Cup Series championship. He reached the Championship 4 last year but failed to secure the win in Phoenix. He will most likely reach that level of the game in 2024 as well and try to hit the bullseye this time. However, for now, he can take a slight breather.
