“We’ve done what we’ve needed to do”: William Byron optimistic for Las Vegas as he keeps his level playing past behind

Hendrick Motorsports Ace William Byron was featured in an interview with NASCAR at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday ahead of the South Point 400. Following an unsatisfactory post-season, during the pre-race interaction, he claimed to be optimistic about the 267-lap race at the 1.5-mile track.

Byron had a spectacular regular season this year. He had two standout moments during the early season, securing the Daytona 500 win and the Iowa Speedway victory. Additionally, he clinched his first-ever regular-season championship title. However, after advancing to the playoffs, the #24 team has been constantly struggling with poor performance, and former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick also pointed out the same.

But William Byron has a promising record at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The HMS driver has consistently secured five top ten finishes with one win on the 1.5-mile track in 2023. Reflecting on the same, Byron has high hopes for the 267-lap race scheduled for Sunday and told the media:

“All that is behind us. We’ve done what we’ve needed to do. We haven’t done what we’ve wanted to do, but we’ve done what needs to be done to get to this point. The real race starts [in practice] and [on Sunday]. Not really looking much at the past, but feel like we’re right where we need to be, at least from a preparation standpoint, going into Vegas. I’m pretty optimistic about today and tomorrow."

William Byron has an average finish of 11.17 during the postseason this year. He has yet to secure a win in the playoffs and has only secured one top-five finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Additionally, after the round of eight-point reset, the HMS driver ranks fourth, just above the cutoff line.

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"I definitely wanted to be here": William Byron expressed his emotions on extending his contract with Hendrick Motorsports

During the regular season, the 2025 Daytona 500 champion, William Byron, extended his contract with the prominent NASCAR team, Hendrick Motorsports. The driver joined the HMS at 18 and has been competing for the team since 2018.

Despite being a rookie in the series, Byron gave neck-to-neck battles to the seasoned drivers and clinched the Rookie of the Year award in 2018. Additionally, the #24 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver has consistently secured spots in the Cup Series playoffs with his remarkable performance over the past six years.

Following his spectacular career with Hendrick Motorsports, William Byron expressed his excitement about extending his contract and told the media:

"I definitely wanted to be here, and really for me, just want to focus on winning races. That’s what it's all about at Hendrick Motorsports, and that's what I personally enjoy and want to be here to do. So, for me personally, I try to just kind of keep my head down this year and focus. I’m just really happy that it's done… It's a bit of a relief, I guess you could say, just to be able to focus on what we're doing here."

William Byron has competed in 284 races for the Cup Series team and secured 15 wins in his career. Additionally, he has amassed 64 top fives, 119 top tens, and 15 pole positions with an average start of 12.2.

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Edited by Karan Yadav