The 2024 Cup Series has been a tale of two teams – Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing. The two outfits have combined for a total of seven wins in the first eight races so far, with William Byron leading the way with three wins. Carrying over his form from last season, where he got six wins, he is clearly not thinking much about the speed of the new Toyotas this season.
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Speaking ahead of the race at the Texas Motor Speedway, the #24 driver said, “I just worry about the Chevy I’m in. I don’t care… we just race against our competition and just try to make the most of it. I mean obviously they have a lot of speed.”
Both Toyota and Ford introduced new cars this season with most wondering how the two manufacturers will perform. While it is too early to predict how the cars will play out long-term, Toyota seems to be in a good place right now. But as 2022 and 2023 proved, Ford has a tendency to raise its game in the playoffs, taking both the Cup titles so far in the Next Gen era.
“They had pretty good speed at Las Vegas, but they were really good at Phoenix and the short-tracks, and we had a lot of work to do. Feel like you never know what’s going to happen here. I mean the Ford’s could be strong. We could be really good again. You just don’t know, so you just have to go out there and see,” concluded Byron, who starts sixth in Sunday’s race.
William Byron has carried over his form from 2023
Byron has a field-high 11 race wins in the Next Gen car, with six of them coming in his breakthrough 2023 season. Eight races into 2024, the #24 driver has carried the momentum, and already has three victories, including his first Daytona 500 win at the start of the season.
The #24 driver is surprised by his level, saying, “It’s honestly been it’s been a bit surprising how well, it’s gone. You know, I think that all the competition is better than they were last year.”
Falling short at the Championship 4 hurdle at Phoenix last year, Byron will be hoping he goes one step further this season.
