Consecutively for the second year by winning the Daytona 500 race, William Byron is striving to uphold the legacy of Jeff Gordon’s iconic #24 car. While Gordon won his first Cup Championship in his third full-time season, Byron is charting a steadier course but has reached Championship 4 in the last two seasons, finishing in P3 both times.
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Additionally, with his second Daytona 500 victory last weekend, Byron has surpassed Gordon’s record to become the youngest multi-time Daytona 500 champion. Despite that, the #24 driver admitted that stepping into the role previously filled by such a famous driver and car was no small feat.
Reflecting on his journey during a post-race interview, Byron confessed, “Well, I have a long way to go. What do I need, 93 wins or something? Yeah, honestly, just when I got in the car, I was super, honestly, uncomfortable with all the pressure and everything that comes with driving the 24 car.”
Now embarking on crafting his legacy, Byron expressed a renewed sense of direction, stating, “Now it’s like, okay, we’re building our own team, we have cool paint schemes, we have awesome sponsors.” He elaborated, “And it’s starting to all come together, and we’re really getting a personality to our team. It’s been fun to see that evolution. And obviously, he’s supporting it all the time, and it’s cool to see him so involved.”
Byron won his second Daytona 500 race last weekend when he was 27 years, 2 months, and 18 days. However, Gordon won his second 500 race in 1999 when he was 27 years, 6 months, and 10 days old.
Since taking the helm of the #24 car in 2018, Byron has consistently reached the playoffs each year, except during his rookie season. Furthermore, since 2021, he has consistently finished a top-10 finish in the final driver standings each season.
Gordon’s reaction to Byron breaking the record
While many drivers might have qualms about their records being broken, Gordon, who not only drove the #24 HMS car but now even serves as the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, expressed unequivocal support, stating, “I hope he breaks them all. I’m in full support of that.” Although Gordon never explicitly placed pressure on Byron, the legacy associated with the car number instilled a sense of expectation in Byron by default.
Gordon said, “I love to see the 24 team continue to have success and Hendrick Motorsports in general. But I think it’s more special because I’ve gotten to know William and he’s just a good guy, and like this is a dream come true for him. It’s been a pretty fast rise to get here, but it hasn’t come without a lot of hard work. And he puts in the work, and there’s nobody more appreciative of it, as well. I’m just proud of him.”
He also noted that while there was a time fans bewailed his absence from the car, the enthusiasm now surrounding Byron in the same car number shows that the legacy endures, thanks to William and the team’s efforts.
While Byron’s team carries forward the #24, it is not technically the same team Gordon retired from in 2015. What is currently known as the #9 HMS team with Chase Elliott was actually the team Gordon last raced with. The #24 team Byron drives for, traces its origins back to the former #5 team, which was last driven by Kasey Kahne.
