Despite finishing an impressive P3 in his seventh NASCAR Cup Series season, William Byron may face a big shift with one of his longest-standing sponsors. Liberty University scaling back its primary sponsorship for the #24 driver and team in 2025. The longtime sponsor has supported Byron since 2014 and sponsored 11 to 15 races per season since his rookie year. This number is set to decrease to six next year.
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The Liberty University branding will make its first appearance of the season during The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, followed by the Daytona 500, Atlanta, Martinsville Speedway, and the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The sponsorship will end with Liberty University’s patriotic red, white, and blue livery adorning Byron’s car during the last two regular-season races at Richmond Raceway and Daytona International Speedway.
The University located in Lynchburg, Virginia was founded in 1971. It is the largest private, nonprofit university in the United States, the largest university in Virginia, and the largest Christian university in the world.
They have stood by the HMS driver since his formative years in racing, backing him while he was still pursuing a B.S. in Strategic Communication via their online programs.
Pre-orders are open for the 2025 No. 24 William Byron Liberty University die-cast!
➡️ https://t.co/dc2STUR8sw pic.twitter.com/v3KyplLuLu
— Lionel Racing (@Lionel_Racing) December 16, 2024
Their collaboration started during Byron’s tenure at JR Motorsports, before his ascent to Rick Hendrick’s Cup Series team. He climbed from the K&N Pro Series in 2015 to the NASCAR Truck Series in 2016, won the Xfinity Series championship in 2017, and moved to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2018.
In 2021, a 5-year extension was signed between Liberty University and Hendrick Motorsports, reaffirming their commitment to Byron and the #24 Chevrolet fielded by Hendrick Motorsports. According to the terms, Liberty would be the primary sponsor for 12 Cup races annually until 2026. In line with this agreement, Liberty sponsored the #24 car for 12 races in 2024 and 13 out of the 38 Cup Series races in 2023.
But then, despite Byron’s performance last season, achieving three race wins, 13 top-5 finishes, and 21 top-10 placements, and advancing to the Championship 4 for the second year running, the reasons behind Liberty University’s decision to dial down its sponsorship remain unknown.
Furthermore, it’s unclear whether Liberty plans to completely sever its ties with the #24 team in the future. On a positive note, the #24 HMS driver’s sponsorship roster remains strong, featuring long-standing Hendrick Motorsports allies such as Axalta, HP, and Valvoline.
