NASCAR CUP SERIES: CHAMPIONSHIP

November 7, 2024

William Byron

Press Conference

An Interview with:

Q. (No microphone.)

WILLIAM BYRON: I was not. I had a good trip out here. I was private, so yeah. Changes things a little bit. I had to change something from last year, so...

Q. What was that 28 minutes like?

WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I mean, it was excruciating. I felt like it was so long. I was honestly numb to whatever was going to happen. I was honestly just preparing for not being in, then thinking about I felt like we did all we could do. It is what it is at this point.

It was a lot of waiting. I felt like the longer I waited in some ways that it wasn't going to work out. But yeah, it did.

Q. That worked out for you. Two days later they come out with these other penalties for alleged race manipulation. Did you feel like Chevy drivers were helping you?

WILLIAM BYRON: I was just focused on what I could do. I was driving as hard as I could. I was trying to block, just drive as hard as I could.

I don't really know. I wasn't in their cars. But yeah, that was my goal, was just trying to do that.

Q. You said Sunday night you weren't happy about it. You were very subdued. Is there any concern this team has like an emotional hangover from last weekend going into this?

WILLIAM BYRON: No. Like, I haven't ever felt as bonded to my team as I am now. We had a meeting on Sunday night about it. I feel like we've turned the page really, really quickly.

For me personally, I've blocked out a ton of the noise. I haven't looked at social media. I don't really care. I'm just focused on trying to get the 24 car as fast as I can.

I think past experiences have probably helped fuel that where I've been through enough BS in my Cup career where I kind of know what to focus on and what to block out.

Q. Do you agree with the penalties?

WILLIAM BYRON: I mean, I have no comment. I'm just focused on the 24. Yeah, I mean, I just want to do a great job for my team.

I feel honestly like on Sunday night, this is a huge opportunity for us to go out here and win this championship. That's all I'm focused on.

Q. Does it feel like a regular championship weekend or...

WILLIAM BYRON: It doesn't feel like it's hanging over the sport at all. I don't know what other people's perspectives are. For me, it feels like a championship weekend. I learned a ton from last year out here. To me it just feels like another championship weekend.

I know the competition on the racetrack's going to be really competitive. That's all I'm focused on.

Q. Does it almost help, you guys have had to have this extra focus going in, now you can put that behind you, do you feel more on top of your game because of what you had to deal with and move on from on Sunday?

WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I mean, I feel like last year was a lot more to go through at Martinsville than this year in terms of just the emotional and physical roller coaster we were on, trying to make it through.

This year feels like we have more momentum on our side. I feel confident in my team. I feel like we've been doing a good job. Not really much to worry about.

Q. (No microphone.)

WILLIAM BYRON: After the race? It was peaceful.

Q. What were you processing? What was it like? What were you doing?

WILLIAM BYRON: I mean, honestly, the drive home was really peaceful. I tried to put my phone away. I think I talked to my sister on the phone for an hour and a half, listening to her telling me what's going on up in New York.

For me it was great. When I got home, I was excited. I was kind of thinking about all the things off the track for this weekend, making sure my family gets everything they need. That's the exciting part to me. And watch the race back, like I always do. Kind of did my review.

Yeah, I would say pretty relaxing for me on the way home other than just trying to make sure I didn't text and drive.

Q. (No microphone.)

WILLIAM BYRON: Just my family: sister, parents, my cousin Sebastian is out here, some friends from back home. It's pretty similar I feel like. I did kind of the same thing last year. Yeah, it will be fun. I'm excited for it.

Q. We have this perception of you're the only Hendrick driver, so all Hendrick's resources will be focused on you. What does that mean? What can your teammates do to help you specifically?

WILLIAM BYRON: I mean, so there's a lot of things. Like, we have worked super closely on the setup this week with all the other teammates we have at HMS. That's one thing.

Just the hands on the car. We don't have the dilemma of what Penske has where we're trying to prepare two cars. It's all focused on the 24. I feel like there were a lot of hands on deck this week at the shop, which is really cool to see.

Then we'll have simulation going on back at the shop all the way up till the green flag. I think that's what's different, is just the fact that we don't have really any other focus but this race.

Q. Is it surreal to have everybody talking about you, helping you?

WILLIAM BYRON: It's cool. Yeah, it's cool. I didn't expect that. Yeah, it shows the teamwork at HMS, kind of what Mr. H and everyone there has built for that to be the case. We all race hard. I feel like at the end of the day we always want the best for one another.

Yeah, it is surreal because just hearing the conversations and just everyone chipping in.

Q. Where does the confidence come from in terms of you won the biggest race of the year, the Daytona 500, then you got into the Championship 4 having to win, clinch a spot? You've proven yourself and the team in two of the biggest tests that can possibly happen.

WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I feel like our team has just been through a lot of big moments, like no bigger than the 500 this year, lining up on the front row with a shot to win that race. I feel like those moments really prepare you for moments like this weekend and moments like Martinsville, just kind of putting yourself in those pressure situations.

There was no more pressure than the 40th anniversary race at Martinsville in the spring. Just feel like those moments definitely prepare us.

Q. You said you flipped the page quickly. What does that look like this week in terms of prep, meetings?

WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I mean, it was honestly from, like, I mean, from the get-go, as soon as the checkered flew on Sunday, then we got the news, I felt like the page was flipped pretty quick.

Yeah, I just think that we did everything we could do on Monday, everything we could do on Tuesday, then tried to kind of get ready for some of the procedural things on Wednesday.

Pretty normal week, honestly, in terms of prep. Maybe a little bit later night on Monday, a little bit earlier mornings. But yeah, for me personally, it was all the same prep that I always do.

Q. What are your thoughts on Phoenix? Do you like the racetrack? Enjoy racing here?

WILLIAM BYRON: I do. I feel like this place has always been pretty good to me. It's just trying to figure out those last couple little steps to be a little bit better. At the same time I feel like this week through my prep and things, I feel like I found some things that I want to work on in practice.

Like I said, it's always been a really good track for me. It's just trying to figure out how to make it that little bit better.

Q. How important is that extended practice?

WILLIAM BYRON: It's important. I mean, we'd be okay with 20 minutes, too. It's important 'cause you just have more time to dial in the car. It's not like you do anything way different. Just more opportunity, more sets of tires.

Q. Hendrick didn't have a great showing here. How has the organization been on these types of tracks?

WILLIAM BYRON: Good point. I feel like last year when we won the spring race, it was hard to change much coming here. We hadn't really learned, like, anything new.

Then this year we struggled a lot here in the spring and really went to work. I feel like we found some stuff at Iowa that was a good track for us. Just kind of feel like some of the mile tracks have been better for us since really this weekend in the spring.

I think we just continue to get better. Yeah, I'll hopefully put all that stuff to the test.

Q. (No microphone.)

WILLIAM BYRON: A lot of things. A lot of little things, such as how to manage the week. I feel like there's a lot coming at you, to still enjoy it but manage your time and make sure you're as focused as you can be.

On the track there's things, but I can't tell you (laughter). There's definitely some things on the track that I want to apply. Yeah, overall managing the week.

Q. Is there any nerves coming in here?

WILLIAM BYRON: No, yeah, there's not any nerves. There will be nerves when you get ready to get in the car on Sunday. Even getting in the car for practice on Friday.

I feel like last year, yes, I was very nervous. I feel like I excelled with those nerves. Qualifying on the pole is a huge, huge deal. That's when you're the most nervous, is qualifying. Being able to kind of jump through those hoops last year, even last week, the nerves for qualifying were high.

Yeah, I don't think nerves are a bad thing. Right now I'm not nervous. I'm sure when the race comes around. Like I said, each moment of the weekend it will hit me for sure.

Q. Will you be glad to get in the car rather than all this media stuff?

WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I'm okay with it. I'm a different person inside the car. It's not like when I'm here, it's not taking away energy from what I feel in the car.

Q. You were in the title race last year as a competitor. What makes Phoenix a good track for crowning a worthy champion?

WILLIAM BYRON: It's a good track because it's where they crown the champion. So you got to be good at it. You got to bring your best stuff and be the best driver you can be at this place.

If they crown the champion at somewhere else, I would be the best at that place. You try to make sure that this is your favorite racetrack, that you know everything about it. If you do your job and prepare as well as you can, it will be that way.

Q. (Question about executing.)

WILLIAM BYRON: There's a lot of different things. Pretty much minute by minute.

It just means doing the best job that you can do. Like, not leaving any stone unturned. Kind of making sure that you're doing everything in the car that you can do to win the race.

If you do all those things, you feel good with yourself when you go home from this race. That's every week.

Yeah, I would say that's the goal.

Q. (No microphone.)

WILLIAM BYRON: Yes and no. I'm not going to drive the car any differently. I'm not really going to prepare any differently because it's the championship in some ways. I'm just going to do more of everything.

I'm just going to make sure that I do everything I can do to be ready. It's the same process as every week, it's just a little bit more.

Q. What is on your mind first, Hendrick Motorsports 40th anniversary, your first championship, finally getting it right? What is the first thing that comes to your mind about Sunday?

WILLIAM BYRON: It's just competing for my team. That team, that's the 24 team first and foremost. Then competing for a shop-worth of employees. We have everyone working on our car and everyone kind of pulling the rope in the same direction.

What comes to my mind is trying to win for my guys. That's first and foremost. Then everything else kind of falls in line.

Q. What feels different compared to last year?

WILLIAM BYRON: Just know what to expect. Know what it takes in the race. Know what to expect. I feel like know the cadence of the weekend. Not a lot's changed in terms of being here. I feel like I know the cadence and how the weekend goes.

Q. You're the only Hendrick car. How much would it mean for everyone, Rick, Jeff...

WILLIAM BYRON: It would mean a ton. They're such great people. I feel like it would just mean a ton to have that moment with them. So yeah...

Q. What will be your preparation and approach for this weekend? Back-to-back Championship 4 appearance. Any preparations that you're going to need with the car and stuff like that?

WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I mean, like I was saying, I feel like nothing really changes. It's just doing a little bit more of everything and making sure that me and my team have everything we need to go after it.

Yeah, not a lot really changes. We'll just get out there and practice and see what we have, work through our processes from there.

Q. Do you have any pre-race snacks that you like to eat?

WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I pretty much eat the same thing every Sunday: chicken, broccoli and rice. Nothing fancy. That's it.

Q. Do you feel less pressure this go-around?

WILLIAM BYRON: I do. I feel less pressure, but at the same time it's more about the result. Like last year, it was an honor to be in the Championship 4. It felt good to be here. This year feels like we know what the goal is: it's winning the championship. Anything short of that is not going to be fun.

Q. Cutting the dogleg, going back on the apron, do you do that in practice or you can't risk it?

WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, definitely I don't feel like probably won't go down there in practice. Really no reason to. You're not racing.

Yeah, I feel like our team's prepped for all that stuff. It's violent, for sure, but it's an advantage that you have to use. If you don't use it, you're going to be giving up time.

Q. Do you ask Kyle or one of your other teammates?

WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I mean, I think the biggest fear was the first time we came here with this car, like what would it do crossing the dogleg. I feel like how we have reps on it. The rules haven't changed that much.

It should be similar - should be similar - to last time we were here.

Q. There has been talk about the dominance of the Ford, the speed of the Toyotas. You haven't won since Martinsville in the spring. What is your confidence level going in?

WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I don't really care. I don't care what they think. I think that our team is definitely capable. We do view ourselves as an underdog because we didn't win in the last round, and the circumstances of how we got here were a little bit different than them.

We've really had speed and we know that as a team. It's just putting it all together. There's no better weekend to do that than this one.

Q. You have the anniversary for Hendrick Motorsports. What would it mean to bring a championship to Rick?

WILLIAM BYRON: I mean, it would be huge. It would be a heck of a way to cap off this year. We've had a lot of special moments this year with the 40th year. Daytona, Martinsville, a lot of the wins from all of us.

It would be huge.

Q. Do you allow yourself to think about how you would celebrate if you won the championship or...

WILLIAM BYRON: I like to visualize. I can't say that I haven't ever thought of it. But I don't spend a ton of time thinking about, like, the steps and the nature of it. I am a visual learner. Yeah, I kind of visualize everything about the weekend, for sure.

Q. Do you feel like you have an advantage that there aren't other Hendrick cars in the field? The whole organization can just concentrate on the 24 right now?

WILLIAM BYRON: I do, yeah. I do. I feel like some of the other teams have to focus on each other. For us, it's really all about the 24. I do feel like that's an advantage.

Q. Are you surprised there's only one Chevrolet in the Championship 4?

WILLIAM BYRON: Not surprised by anything in the Playoffs. It's just the nature of the Playoffs now. Nothing surprises me.

Q. Can you take what you learned last year and apply it to this year?

WILLIAM BYRON: A lot of little things. I feel like I learned a lot of lessons last year. Hopefully be able to apply some of those things.

Q. Someone told me you feel like you have something to prove because they haven't been talking about you as much. You're still fast, still getting it done. Do you have anything to prove at this point?

WILLIAM BYRON: We always do. That's how my career started, was always having to prove something. No one ever felt like I was supposed to be in a race car, so...

From day one, it's always been that motivation for me. Then this year's no different because of the nature of, yeah, not winning yet in the Playoffs.

We're still waiting to peak. That's a good feeling.

Q. Expand on that. What do you mean no one thinks you should have been in a race car?

WILLIAM BYRON: The way I started out. I got discounted a lot. When I started in racing, it was a lot more unconventional way than most people.

Q. Does that fuel your fire to be more, constantly prove people wrong?

WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I just feel I have internal confidence. I just feel like I get my confidence from within and the people around me. That's it.

Q. You kind of set a trend. Rajah followed in your footsteps.

WILLIAM BYRON: It's awesome, especially having Rajah in the Hendrick camp. We grew up racing against each other on iRacing. It's cool to see that.

Q. Who believed in you first?

WILLIAM BYRON: Dennis Lambert. He's a great friend. We still keep in touch.

Q. There was hate on social media. How did you handle that for a change being on the other side?

WILLIAM BYRON: Honestly, I don't look at it. I don't know what was said or whatnot. I know that I just race my guts out. That's all I focus on.

Q. (No microphone.)

WILLIAM BYRON: We'll see. I get another shot this week.

Q. Did you learn anything from last year that you think you can apply to this year?

WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I feel like I learned a ton, like I've talked about. I feel like I've learned little details that I can focus on for this weekend. There's a lot of stuff, yeah, through the weekend.

Q. Have you prepared any differently for this weekend than you did last year or other weekends?

WILLIAM BYRON: It's really not that different. It is just kind of focusing on all of the little details.

Q. You scored the most points this year in the Playoffs of all the other drivers. How does that make you feel about possibly peaking at the right time even though you haven't won yet?

WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I mean, that's a good stat. I feel like it just shows how strong our team's been. We've been getting a lot of stage points. The last round I felt like Homestead was our weakest race. We missed out on a few points I felt like through the stages. Was able to creep out there even though we lost points to the cut.

Martinsville is a super strong race. Honestly, I don't feel like any of the races we got as many points as we could have gotten in the stages and the end result. I feel like there's still more to go get.

Points don't matter this week. It's just really about the last stage. That's what I'm excited for.

Q. Has anybody called you this week to give you their vote of confidence that may have surprised you?

WILLIAM BYRON: No, not really. I feel like people know me pretty well. They kind of let me be. A lot of people reached out, for sure, which was really cool to see.

Not too much advice. I feel like I take advice from a pretty small circle. That's just how I've always approached it. But I really listen to those people.

Q. Who is your go-to?

WILLIAM BYRON: A few different people. I mean, my dad, Max, Rudy. There's Dennis. There's a lot of different people that I go to.

Q. You mentioned some of the little details. Can you elaborate on what some of those might be?

WILLIAM BYRON: I mean, nothing without being too technical. I just feel like it's the approach. I definitely learned a lot post race last year that I feel like you try to approach coming here in the spring, then try to just learn for general things for this weekend.

Q. You said earlier you never felt as bonded with your team as you do right now. Can you talk about why that is, what kind of advantage that gives you?

WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah I feel like our team just really has a strong bond. I think we've been through a lot this year, and previous years, too. Not a lot's changed.

I feel like we're just continuing to build on what we've done and try to make it better.

Q. What would you say is the most important thing you've learned about yourself throughout this championship run compared to last year?

WILLIAM BYRON: I just feel like we've been really resilient this year. I feel like nothing has really fazed us. We've never really gotten too high or too low. I'd say the first round was the rockiest part of the Playoffs for us. Once we kind of got our routine and our rhythm, I feel like we've been pretty status quo.

Yeah, I just think resilient is kind of what our team's been about.

Q. (No microphone.)

WILLIAM BYRON: Uhm... I don't know. I feel like it kind of depends on how the race is going. Are all of us in the top four? Are we kind of mixed in throughout the pack? It just kind of depends on what the race looks like.

For us personally, it's just going to be about trying to be there throughout the race, but also at the end for sure.

Q. What do you expect out of the track and the tire this weekend?

WILLIAM BYRON: I don't know. I don't know. Should be similar to the spring. Should be a learning experience here in practice, then kind of see from there.

Q. What would winning this race on Sunday mean to you?

WILLIAM BYRON: It would be huge. Just be a culmination of a lot of hard work. Yeah, it would be amazing. I don't know because I haven't done it. I'm sure the emotions would be raw and real, for sure.

Q. Have you tried to visualize it in your head, or are you trying to steer clear of that?

WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I mean, yes and no. I feel like a lot of that stuff just happens naturally.

Q. One of the iconic moments of the week was the embrace with you and Christopher Bell after the ruling came down. Have you talked to Christopher after that moment?

WILLIAM BYRON: No, I haven't. Yeah, we just have a lot of respect for each other. I feel like that's what was shown in that moment. I really appreciate him doing that. He didn't have to.

Yeah, it was a cool moment.

Q. I know you're not looking past Sunday, but will we see you on any dirt tracks during the off-season?

WILLIAM BYRON: No, definitely not. I'm going to get far away from racing for a little bit, then come back and be ready to go for next year.

Q. What has the prep been like this week for you guys?

WILLIAM BYRON: I feel like it's been enough time. I feel like we've worked as much as we can. My guys have really spent a lot of time on this car. I feel like we've done everything we can do.

Yeah, it's different than having time to prepare. Feel like we've done it all.