William Byron’s path to NASCAR’s top tier never followed the traditional script, yet his destination now mirrors that of the sport’s elite. Unlike most drivers who begin in go-karts almost as soon as they can reach the pedals, Byron did not climb into a race car until his early teens. His introduction to motorsports came through iRacing, where he learned racecraft in a virtual environment before translating those skills to the real world. That unconventional foundation did little to slow his ascent. Once he entered NASCAR’s national ranks, results followed quickly.
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Byron’s early years in the Truck and Xfinity Series progressed impressively. He won seven races during his rookie Truck season and followed that with four victories in Xfinity, an attempt that ended with a Tier 2 championship. The transition to the Cup Series, however, demanded patience. His first two seasons at the sport’s highest level proved more challenging.
But during that period, Byron leaned heavily on guidance from within Hendrick Motorsports, particularly Chase Elliott. In 2018, as he continued to learn the Cup Series and its finer details, Byron openly acknowledged that he was still a work in progress. Despite having experienced figures such as Jeff Gordon available, he frequently turned to Elliott for perspective.
Byron explained at the time that he drew input from several teammates, though not equally. “I think I lean on all of them pretty equally. I think that I lean on Alex (Bowman) the least amount because we’re both new to what’s happening. We have little conversations of what our cars are doing here and there. But it’s not as broad of information as Chase or Jimmie.”
That distinction mattered. Elliott and Jimmie Johnson represented recent success within the organization, and Byron recognized the value of measuring himself against drivers who consistently contended.
“I feel like Chase and Jimmie are the guys I lean on most because those are the guys that have had the most success the last couple (of) years in our organization. I try to gauge myself off of Chase a lot of times because I think we have very similar styles. We’re really close in the shop. It makes a little more sense for me to lean on him.”
That willingness to learn has shaped Byron’s growth. Over eight Cup seasons, he has collected 16 wins across 288 starts. The past three seasons have reinforced that trend, with Byron finishing each year in the top four and securing a spot in the Championship 4 every time.
The #24 driver’s even captured back-to-back Daytona 500 wins in 2024 and 2025, a feat that places him in rare company and reflects his ability to perform on the sport’s biggest stage. While his most prolific season came in 2023, when he won six times, his production has remained steady.
Over the last two seasons, he added three wins each year, maintaining his presence near the front of the field. Byron’s decision to lean on the stalwarts like Johnson and Elliott seems to have helped him quite a lot.
