William Byron Bio
William McComas Byron Jr. (born November 29, 1997) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports, and part-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for JR Motorsports. Byron is a two-time Daytona 500 winner, capturing the race in 2024 and 2025, and was named the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Champion.
Byron first made national headlines by winning the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Championship as a teenager. He later earned Rookie of the Year honors in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2016, claimed the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship in 2017, and was named the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year. In 2023, he was recognized as one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.
Early Life and Background
Byron was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, the younger of two children of Bill and Dana Byron. He has an older sister, Kathryn. He grew up in the heart of NASCAR country and was drawn to the sport at a young age. When he was six years old, he watched a stock car race on television, and in 2006 he attended his first race at Martinsville Speedway. Those early experiences planted the seed for a future in motorsports.
As a teenager, Byron became a serious iRacing simulator competitor, logging more than one hundred wins and nearly three hundred top-five finishes in online events. In 2012, at age fifteen, he transitioned from the virtual world to real race cars and began racing Legend Cars. He won 33 races that year and earned the Legend Car Young Lions Division championship, a strong start that was late by modern stock car standards but impressive in its results.
Byron attended Charlotte Country Day School while completing his high school graduation requirements in May 2016 through online classes sponsored by Liberty University. He later enrolled at Liberty University, where he is pursuing a college degree with a major in business communication. He is also an Eagle Scout and a practicing Christian who has spoken openly about his faith in connection with his racing career.
Path to NASCAR
For 2014, Byron joined the JR Motorsports late model program, racing the No. 9 Liberty University Chevrolet at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina. He scored a single victory and eleven top-five finishes, finishing second in the track standings to teammate Josh Berry. The late model program gave Byron the experience needed to move into NASCAR’s national touring divisions.
In 2015, Byron was signed by HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks to drive in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, with sponsorship from Liberty University. He also made his ARCA Racing Series debut that summer at Lucas Oil Raceway, driving for Venturini Motorsports. He scored four K&N East victories and captured the series championship, instantly establishing himself as one of stock car racing’s top young prospects.
On October 29, 2015, Kyle Busch Motorsports announced that Byron would run a full 2016 schedule in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 9 Toyota Tundra. He was paired with one of the most respected development teams in the sport, setting the stage for one of the most productive rookie seasons in Truck Series history.
William Byron Career
Early Career (2015-2016)
Byron’s first national NASCAR start came in the 2015 Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway in the Truck Series, a warm-up race arranged by KBM to prepare him for the 2016 season. He also competed in selected 2015 K&N Pro Series West events at Sonoma and Phoenix, finishing fifth and second, respectively. Those starts helped him build a foundation of experience across multiple touring series.
The 2016 Camping World Truck Series campaign was a breakout year. Byron won his first Truck Series race at Kansas in May, then added victories at Texas, Iowa, Kentucky, Pocono, and New Hampshire. He broke the Truck Series rookie wins record held by Kurt Busch with seven total victories, and he clinched the owners’ championship for the No. 9 team. He was named NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year after placing fifth in the final standings.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2017)
On August 18, 2016, Hendrick Motorsports and JR Motorsports announced a multi-year deal that sent Byron to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2017, driving the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro SS. He opened the year with a runner-up finish at Michigan before scoring his first career national series victory at Iowa after Christopher Bell wrecked late in the race. Byron added a second win in an overtime finish at Daytona, then took a third victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a fourth at Phoenix to clinch a spot in the Championship 4.
At the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Byron held off Championship 4 teammate Elliott Sadler in the closing laps to capture the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship. He was also named the 2017 Sunoco Rookie of the Year, becoming only the second driver after Erik Jones to earn Rookie of the Year honors in consecutive seasons across the three national series.
After focusing on the Cup Series, Byron returned to the Xfinity Series in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 for select starts. He drove the JR Motorsports No. 88 and the Hendrick Motorsports No. 17 in those appearances, earning a victory at Charlotte in 2025 in the BetMGM 300. He continues to run a part-time Xfinity schedule alongside his full-time Cup duties.
NASCAR Cup Series Breakthrough (2018-Present)
On August 9, 2017, Hendrick Motorsports announced Byron would replace Kasey Kahne in the Cup Series starting in 2018, inheriting the No. 5 team and crew chief Darian Grubb. Twenty days later, HMS switched him to the iconic No. 24, with Chase Elliott taking over the No. 9. In 2019, four-time champion Chad Knaus became Byron’s crew chief. Byron clinched the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year award at ISM Raceway.
Byron’s first Cup Series victory came at the 2020 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, where he avoided late wrecks and won in overtime to make the playoffs. He built momentum through 2021, winning at Homestead-Miami Speedway and finishing a career-high tenth in points. In 2022, he picked up wins at Atlanta and Martinsville and signed a contract extension to remain at Hendrick Motorsports through 2025, later extended through 2029.
Byron’s 2023 season was his strongest to that point, with six Cup wins at Las Vegas, Phoenix, Darlington, Atlanta, Watkins Glen, and Texas. The Texas victory marked Hendrick Motorsports’ 300th Cup Series win, while the Darlington win was the 100th victory for the legendary No. 24. He finished third in the final standings, a career best at the time.
In 2024, Byron won the Daytona 500, the first No. 24 Daytona 500 win since Jeff Gordon in 2005, and added victories at the Circuit of the Americas and Martinsville. He advanced to the Championship 4 but finished third in the final standings. In 2025, he won the Daytona 500 for the second straight year, becoming the fifth driver in history to win the race in consecutive seasons, and added wins at Iowa and Martinsville to earn the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship.
Hendrick Motorsports Era (2018-Present)
Byron has spent his entire Cup Series career at Hendrick Motorsports, one of the most successful organizations in NASCAR history. Crew chief Rudy Fugle, formerly of Kyle Busch Motorsports, joined the No. 24 team in 2023, and the pairing has produced the bulk of Byron’s recent success. Spotter Branden Lines rounds out the road team.
Within Hendrick, Byron has developed a reputation for clean racing, smart fuel-saving strategy, and patient race craft. His strongest tracks include Daytona, Martinsville, and a growing list of intermediate ovals. The team has been willing to make aggressive calls on late-race restarts, and Byron has consistently delivered in clutch moments, especially in 2024 and 2025 when his back-to-back Daytona 500 wins have cemented his status as a championship contender.
Driving Style and Strengths
Byron is regarded as a thoughtful, well-prepared driver who excels at superspeedways and short intermediate tracks. His partnership with crew chief Rudy Fugle has emphasized strategy calls and pit-road execution, and Byron’s measured pace management in long green-flag runs has become a hallmark. He is also known for his late-race composure, which has helped him deliver in several of NASCAR’s biggest events.
Notable Races and Milestones
Byron’s signature moments include his 2024 and 2025 Daytona 500 victories, his 2020 first Cup win at Daytona, and his 2023 Texas win that delivered Hendrick Motorsports’ 300th Cup victory. He also became only the 12th driver in NASCAR history to win a race in all three national series at the same track, accomplishing the feat at Iowa, and he holds the Camping World Truck Series rookie wins record with seven victories in 2016.
William Byron Career Wins
William Byron has compiled a deep resume of wins across NASCAR’s three national series and several regional touring series. He is a champion in the K&N Pro Series East, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season, and he is a two-time Daytona 500 winner. His combined Cup Series win count has grown steadily since his first victory in 2020, with strong seasons in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
NASCAR Cup Series Highlights
Byron’s Cup Series totals include 16 wins, 128 top-ten finishes, and 16 poles through the 2025 season, according to verified records. His first Cup victory came at the 2020 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, and his most recent Cup win came at the 2025 Xfinity 500 at Martinsville. He finished the 2023 and 2024 seasons third in points, his best career results, and he was the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Champion.
In addition to his wins, Byron has captured signature Daytona 500 poles and Duel wins, including the 2019 Daytona 500 pole and the 2020 Bluegreen Vacations Duel. He was named the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year, the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year, the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year, and the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Rookie of the Year.
NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series Highlights
Byron’s Xfinity Series totals include 5 wins, 29 top-ten finishes, and 3 poles, highlighted by his 2017 series championship won at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His Truck Series career includes 8 wins, 20 top-ten finishes, and 3 poles, with a record-setting 7-win rookie campaign in 2016 that earned him Rookie of the Year. He also captured the 2015 ARCA Menards Series East championship with 4 wins, 11 top-ten finishes, and 3 poles.
Other Wins and Performances
Byron added to his short-track resume with several late model wins in 2022, including the Slinger Nationals, the Clyde Hart Memorial, the Money in the Bank 150, the North-South Super Late Model Challenge, and the Orange Blossom 100. These victories reinforced his versatility and his continued involvement in grassroots racing while competing full-time in the Cup Series.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup Series | 16 | 128 | 16 |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | 5 | 29 | 3 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 8 | 20 | 3 |
| ARCA Menards Series East | 4 | 11 | 3 |
William Byron Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Byron was raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, by his parents, Bill and Dana Byron, alongside his older sister, Kathryn. The family has been a steady presence throughout his racing career, and Byron has frequently credited his parents for supporting his transition from iRacing to real race cars in 2012. In May 2021, Byron publicly shared that his mother, Dana, was being treated for a MALT lymphoma tumor, and by late July 2021, he confirmed that she had recovered from the disease.
Personal Life
Byron attended Charlotte Country Day School and is a student at Liberty University, where he is majoring in business communication. He is an Eagle Scout and a practicing Christian. Byron is in a relationship with Hailey McGregor. He stands 5 feet 9 inches tall and continues to make his home in the Charlotte area while racing for Hendrick Motorsports.
2025 Season Performance
Byron opened the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season in dominant fashion, winning the Daytona 500 for the second consecutive year and joining a small group of drivers to win the race in back-to-back seasons. The early win established him as a clear championship favorite and gave the No. 24 team strong momentum heading into the early portion of the schedule. Byron picked up his second victory of the year at Iowa, a track where he has historically performed well, and his consistency across the rest of the regular season kept him at or near the top of the standings.
Byron’s 2025 form earned him the NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship, a milestone that brought him 15 additional bonus points entering the playoffs. During the postseason, he added a win at Martinsville to lock in a Championship 4 berth, extending his late-season record of strong playoff performances. Crew chief Rudy Fugle’s strategy and Byron’s steady pace on long runs have been central to the team’s success, and the pairing appears to be hitting its stride at the right time of year.
Looking ahead, Byron signed a contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports in May 2025 that keeps him in the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 through 2029. With back-to-back Daytona 500 rings, a Regular Season Championship, and a long-term deal in place, he enters the 2025 finale as one of the championship favorites. The challenge now is to convert regular-season form into a Cup Series title, the final major piece missing from an already decorated resume.
