William Byron, who drives the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, is gearing up to compete in two races during the same weekend at Phoenix Raceway on March 6, 2026. This double-duty effort requires intense focus and strategic preparation, highlighting Byron’s commitment to performing at his best in both the NASCAR Cup Series and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series events.
Byron shared his perspective on managing the demands of racing across two series, reflecting on his experience and readiness for the upcoming weekend.
William Byron on Cooling Shirts and Keeping Comfortable During Races
One topic Byron addressed was the effectiveness of cooling shirts, which drivers wear to manage heat inside the car. He acknowledged that while the technology can be helpful when functioning properly, it can sometimes have negative effects.
“Yeah, I’ve definitely had my share of races that it doesn’t work. And, you know, it’s an interesting phenomenon because really thinking about my career, I’ve been wearing that thing since I’ve been Cup racing. It really was coming on board in 2017. Jimmie (Johnson) and Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) I think were really adamant that it was a good thing. Definitely when it works, it’s great. But I feel like there’s definitely a handful, if not more times, that it doesn’t work. That shirt is very insulated. I was at a Martinsville test one time and was wearing it and didn’t turn it on for most of the day and just started to feel sick because just the way it insulates your body and kind of has the opposite effect when it’s not on. So, yeah, I think I’m open to other options. We used to just have blowers in the car that would just blow air on your back. So finitely, we’ve talked about looking at other options and seeing what’s out there. It’s effective, but at the same time, if it doesn’t work or it doesn’t work as well, like I said, it’s pretty insulated. It’s like wearing a coat. The Nomex that Alpine Stars gives us is pretty effective when you start to sweat, you know, the technology in it. So we’ll see. We’ll see where it goes.”
?William Byron, NASCAR Driver
Setup Strategies Under New Horsepower Package and Tire Conditions
Byron commented on the adjustments teams are making this season due to the increased horsepower package and the challenges presented by tire wear. He emphasized the unpredictability of how the cars will behave on track despite simulations and cautioned against rushing to aggressive setups before gathering real-world data.
“Yeah, I don’t think there’s anything we can do until we know how it’s going to react on track. I mean, in the sim, you can simulate going faster down the straightaway, a little bit more tire wear, but you just don’t know how it’s going to really act and react. We’ve been down that road before when you get a new aero package; you try to guess, and a lot of times, you guess wrong. So it’s really just about trying to figure out how different it is with tire wear and all those things. But I really think the biggest place you’ll notice it is Darlington coming up, especially with the aero change there. Going to the short track package at Darlington I think is going to be a big difference, so that’ll be probably the first race we run that’s like kind of that shock moment of what is the car going to feel like and what do we have to do to adjust.”
?William Byron, NASCAR Driver
Sharing the Weekend with INDYCAR: Byron’s Observations
Byron reflected on his experiences sharing the Phoenix Raceway weekend with INDYCAR, noting differences in sound and racing style between the two series. Though primarily a stock car driver, he appreciates the opportunity to observe INDYCAR’s approach firsthand.
He also remarked on the technical aspects of how INDYCAR drivers navigate the track, mentioning the visual markers and the lines they tend to run compared to stock cars.
“Yeah, they’re very quiet going around the racetrack, which is pretty nice. So maybe something to be learned for that (laughs). But yeah, I mean, I haven’t been to an INDYCAR race, so this is probably the first time. I think maybe early in my career, they raced to Texas with us in the Trucks. But I have quite a few friends over there in that garage, so it’s just cool to have that crossover and be able to be in the same space as them this weekend. Very excited to watch the race. You know, I think it’s going to be really exciting to see how they navigate this place. It looks like they put some hash marks down in the corner, so I’m interested to see how that kind of plays into our grip and package. But yeah, I think it’ll be interesting to see how they navigate this place and what kind of lines they run. It looks like they kind of are stuck to running just above the yellow line, so they can’t really use the apron like we do. But we’ll see, and we’ll see kind of how the rubber plays out, too.”
?William Byron, NASCAR Driver
Childhood Memories of the Indianapolis 500 and Speed Differences
Byron also reminisced about watching the Indianapolis 500 as a child and named a few drivers he recalls from his younger years. He expressed curiosity about how the INDYCAR vehicles handle and their speed differences compared to NASCAR stock cars.
“I would say from 12-13 years old, I would watch the Indianapolis 500 and, of course, watch the Coca-Cola 600, as well. I remember Dan Wheldon winning. I remember J.R. Hildebrand running well for a few years. I don’t know, that kind of time period, the National Guard car. I guess that’s what I remember. Like I said, the cars are really quiet, so I’m curious to kind of see the speed difference. I haven’t really seen him go around the racetrack yet, so I’m curious how that’s going to look.”
?William Byron, NASCAR Driver
Current Championship Standings and Byron’s Focus on Improvement
After the first three races of the season, William Byron finds himself 13th in points, and he described the season start as feeling longer than usual as the team adjusts to various tracks. He is aiming to improve his average points per race to remain competitive.
Byron acknowledged recent setbacks, including crashes that cost valuable points, but remains focused on making the necessary adjustments moving forward.
“Yeah, it’s funny. (Christopher) Bell and I were talking about this at driver intros last week. It just feels like the longer we do this, the more it takes a few races to kind of get into the meat of the season and what really makes up our season and the tracks. So, for me, it’s felt super long this year just kind of getting into the rhythm of the season. I don’t want to classify it as a ‘real racetrack’, but these places that really make up the finesse and the speed that it takes to win a championship. So, yeah, I think I’m just kind of eager to get out there this weekend. We’ve done a lot of prep for Phoenix. To answer your question on where we stand, I think what’s frustrating for us is feeling like we’ve given up a few points the last couple weeks. You know, I crashed the week before at Atlanta. We had some damage, and then I crashed, and so that gave away a handful. And then last week, I felt like we gave away a handful at the end there in the last run. I just feel like those sting a little more than they used to probably, but we’ve – like (Kyle) Larson said this week, we’ve always points raced as a top team. Our goal last year was to win the regular season championship, and we got off to a good start and made that a little bit easier. But, yeah, we’ve just been kind of middle of the road right now. We’ve scored 25-26 points on average. We’d like to score, you know, 35 to 40 on average. So definitely below average right now, but I think we’re going to see what we have this weekend, that’s for sure.”
?William Byron, NASCAR Driver
Addressing the Success of 23XI Racing and Looking Ahead
When asked about the strong performances recently by the 23XI Racing team, Byron acknowledged the impressive starts by his competitors but stressed the importance of focusing on his own team’s progress through the long season.
“Yeah, I mean look — they’ve hit a home run on two drafting tracks. To score the points that they did is phenomenal. If you start the year and you say, man, if we could score 40 to 50 points on drafting tracks, that’s going to be a huge advantage. So they’ve accumulated a big advantage in those drafting tracks. And then COTA, I don’t think was any surprise to me that Tyler (Reddick) ran so well. But they executed really well, and that momentum was big. So I think for us on the 24 team, it’s not really about looking at anyone else. It’s looking at ourselves. If we get to race 26 and that gap is still there, then shoot, you know, wish we could have had a couple things back. But there’s so much circumstance in those first couple weeks that you’ve got 26 weeks to figure it out. I think there’s going to be plenty of ebb and flow in the next, I don’t know, 20-22 weeks.”
?William Byron, NASCAR Driver
Motivations for Competing in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series
Byron explained why he chose to compete in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race in Phoenix, noting it was a strategic choice influenced by the championship implications and his desire to challenge himself and win.
“Yeah, I think I’ve done this in the past and kind of ran the road courses because you think that that’s going to help you and all of that. Sometimes a Cup car and an O’Reilly car are very different. So now, I feel like the O’Reilly car is fun at certain places. This was a place that before the schedule got changed up, I thought, okay, this is an important place with the championship. And it still is because it’s still in the Chase, so I think that factored into it. But it’s just about having fun and trying to go win. You know, I like to be competitive and I like to win. I’ll try to challenge myself this weekend; pressure on myself to win and hopefully we can do that.”
?William Byron, NASCAR Driver
Anthony Alfredo’s Role and Impact on the Team
Byron praised Anthony Alfredo, who is stepping in for injured Alex Bowman, highlighting Alfredo’s strong work ethic, particularly in the simulator, and his growing understanding of car dynamics.
Byron recounted how Alfredo assisted him personally with his own sim setup and expressed optimism about Alfredo’s upcoming opportunities driving the No. 48 Chevrolet.
“Yeah, I’m happy for Anthony (Alfredo). I feel like he’s worked hard and grinded in the sim. He hasn’t had that many opportunities in NASCAR that are, you know, quality opportunities. I feel like he’s had a lot of races, which is good, but not something in a top car. So I’m looking forward to seeing how he does.
And, yeah, I mean, that work is really tedious on the sim. Those guys go in there at 7 a.m. and they work on tires and they’re staring at a screen for five, six hours at a time. It’s definitely an admirable job that he’s doing there and feel like, even through the iRacing stuff — like he actually helped install my sim at my house a couple years ago (laughs). So, yeah, it’s just fun to see him out here and I hope he does well. I saw him at the shop on Wednesday and he was trying to absorb a lot. He was quizzing me with all types of questions on aero and how these cars handle. So, yeah, I’m looking forward to seeing how he does.”
?William Byron, NASCAR Driver
Considering INDYCAR as a Future Racing Opportunity
When asked if he might race in INDYCAR one day, Byron expressed admiration for the sport but emphasized his primary goal to first win a NASCAR championship before exploring other racing opportunities.
“Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, the Indy 500 obviously is always exciting to watch. I just feel like I need to win a NASCAR championship first. That’s first and foremost on my goals, and then I’ll kind of look outside, maybe. But, yeah, I’ve always been probably a person that could have run a lot of other stuff. Given my background, I could have diversified a lot more. It just didn’t work out that way. So with kind of the nature of my career, I feel like I just stick to what I’m doing and what I’m good at. But at the same time, it’d be cool to expand outside. I just feel like I’ve got to get comfortable and accomplish what I want to here and then maybe look at that.”
?William Byron, NASCAR Driver
Balancing Tire Management with the New Softer Tires and Increased Horsepower
Byron discussed how tire wear management remains critical despite new tire compounds and horsepower adjustments. He believes that proper setup still drives performance and tire longevity more than managing driving style alone.
“Yeah, I mean, I feel like the tire saving part of things is a little overblown because it really still comes down to setup. There is management in that, but it still comes down to kind of the balance of the two. But, yeah, I think it’s going to play a role, this softer tire. We talked about it this week, hopefully it’s a little bit more durable. The teams have gone to work on camber, air pressure, to figure out that equation for what makes the tire wear out or blow. But, yeah, hopefully it’s a little more predictable this week and we can just try to manage it the best we can.”
?William Byron, NASCAR Driver
Insight on Corey Day’s Transition to Stock Car Racing
Byron offered his thoughts on Corey Day adjusting to a higher level of stock car racing, noting the challenges related mostly to the physical dimensions of the car rather than speed or driving technique.
“Yeah, I mean, he’s done a lot of racing with a car that’s kind of half the size. I feel like probably the dimensions of the car are the toughest part for him. He didn’t do late model racing. Like when (Christopher) Bell came up, he raced against me in late models, so he got the chance to kind of understand where the wall is and where other cars are. I feel like that is probably the toughest part. The speed aspect, I feel like he has a pretty good handle on. But, yeah, just the race craft is probably difficult. I don’t know how much iRacing he’s done or sim stuff he’s done to kind of bridge that gap. So, yeah, I can’t imagine. I don’t come from that background, so I don’t know exactly what the factors are there, but probably the dimensions are difficult.”
?William Byron, NASCAR Driver
General Motors’ Continued Commitment to Motorsport Innovation
General Motors, parent company of Hendrick Motorsports and JR Motorsports, remains deeply involved in advancing automotive technology through its motorsports programs. With brands like Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC, GM is committed to developing safer, smarter, and lower-emission vehicles, moving toward an all-electric future.
The company’s participation spans from Formula 1 with Cadillac Racing to the US IndyCar series and NASCAR, as well as supporting Corvette customer teams competing internationally in GT series. These ventures help GM test advanced technologies in demanding racing environments that eventually benefit production vehicles.
Looking Ahead to Phoenix Raceway and the Impact of Byron’s Double Duty
William Byron’s preparation for running both the NASCAR Cup Series and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Phoenix Raceway demonstrates his ongoing dedication to competitive racing despite the complexities of double-duty weekends. His thoughtful approach to managing equipment, adapting to new track conditions, and supporting teammates like Anthony Alfredo showcases a focused effort to improve performance across multiple fronts.
As the season unfolds, Byron’s emphasis on learning the nuances of the updated horsepower package and tire wear at Phoenix will be vital. Additionally, watching INDYCAR’s strategies and integrating insights could influence the team’s approach to racing on this unique track.
The upcoming races at Phoenix and the subsequent short track event at Darlington will likely serve as critical benchmarks for Byron and the No. 24 team to gauge progress in a highly competitive field. With 26 races in the season ahead, there remains ample opportunity for Byron to close gaps and contend for top positions as he continues balancing the demands of top-tier stock car racing.
