For a third consecutive year, William Byron has traveled to Phoenix Raceway in November with an opportunity to collect what would be a record-extending 15th NASCAR Cup Series title for Hendrick Motorsports.
The Charlotte, North Carolina-native has been an integral part of the team’s success over the last half-decade, with Byron earning 14 victories since the implementation of the seventh-generation racecar in 2022, second only to teammate Kyle Larson.
But the one thing that has eluded him in that timeframe? A championship. Granted, it’s not as dramatic a drought as his fellow Championship 4 adversary, Denny Hamlin, has racked up.
This entire season, though, has had a totally different feel for Byron and the No. 24 Chevrolet team. Typically rock solid in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, the 27-year-old has had some missteps this year, ranging from the overall performance of the team or just some poor luck destroying opportunities to collect crucial points.
So, when it came to Martinsville, the final race in the semi-final round of the Playoffs, Byron found himself in a must-win situation for the first time in several years. With their backs against the wall, though, the 16-time NASCAR Cup Series race-winner executed and catapulted himself into the Championship 4.
Yet, despite the rocky path, the driver of the No. 24 finds himself here, once again, competing against three other drivers — Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Chase Briscoe — to try and win the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship. The question stands to reason, though, whether recent success is enough to turn the tables?
“I think I feel pretty good coming into this weekend, regardless,” said Byron. “I think, just with how I feel, we’re capable of running. Last weekend was a big shot in the arm for our team just to be able to execute like that under the circumstances, then just kind of the way the Playoffs have been, it felt like we were just wanting to see things kind of go our way for once.”
Having to shoulder the high-stakes pressure of a Championship 4 appearance for a third straight year, Byron should have the hang of it by now, as the Hendrick Motorsports protege has been there and done that, despite not taking the ultimate prize in doing so.
“When I hear you say that, it’s third straight, it’s really cool,” Byron said Thursday. “We should take pride in that as a team, honestly, because it’s hard to do, especially with this NextGen car. So yeah, it’s exciting. It’s all that our team’s kind of been here and done this before. I think it just kind of narrows the focus. I think it just kind of makes it clearer. The track hasn’t changed. We’ve been in these positions. It’s very routine.”
Byron was the second-fastest of the Championship 4 in Friday’s 50-minute practice session from the one-mile Phoenix Raceway, and then came back to the racetrack the following day and put down a second-place qualifying result — behind only Denny Hamlin.
STARTING LINEUP: NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix
While he isn’t the highest-qualifying of the Championship 4 contenders, which historically has been a godsend towards winning the championship, the former champion of the NASCAR Xfinity Series (under this format) seems pretty confident in what Rudy Fugle has brought to the racetrack for him to drive on Sunday.
“I feel good. I think so far it’s kind of what we’ve been working on and trying to improve,” said Byron. “Yeah, I’m optimistic. I think everything so far this weekend has been pretty solid.”
Rolling from second-place, Byron will have to navigate the waters of a 312-lap showdown at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, with the winner (or at least the highest finisher of the four Championship 4 drivers) taking the major prize.
Coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway will take place on Sunday, November 2, at 3:00 PM ET on NBC, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
