William Byron Bio
William McComas Byron Jr., known professionally as William Byron, is an American professional stock car racing driver born on November 29, 1997, in Charlotte, North Carolina. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports, and he also runs part-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for JR Motorsports. Byron has built one of the strongest résumés of his generation, including the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship and consecutive Daytona 500 victories in 2024 and 2025.
Byron first gained national attention in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, where he won the 2015 championship, and he added the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year award before capturing the Xfinity title the following year. In 2018 he was named NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year, and in 2023 he was recognized as one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers. By his late twenties, he had become one of the most consistent young winners in the Cup Series garage.
Early Life and Background
Byron was born the younger of two children in Charlotte, North Carolina, to parents Bill Byron and Dana Byron, and he has an older sister named Kathryn. He grew up in a family that supported his early curiosity about cars, and that environment helped him pursue a racing career from a young age. He attended Charlotte Country Day School while completing high school, and he later continued his college education online through Liberty University, where he has pursued a degree in business communication.
Byron became interested in racing at age six after watching a stock car race on television, and he attended his first live race at Martinsville Speedway in 2006. As a teenager, he built his skills on the iRacing simulator, where he recorded more than one hundred wins and nearly three hundred top-five finishes in online competition. Those virtual miles sharpened his race craft and prepared him for the step into real cars when he and his father decided in 2012 that it was time to move from the simulator to the track.
Path to NASCAR
In 2012, at the age of fifteen, Byron began racing Legend Cars. He won thirty-three races that year and earned the Legend Car Young Lions Division championship, a strong start for someone who began relatively late by modern stock car standards. For the 2014 season, he signed with the JR Motorsports late model program and competed at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina, scoring one win and eleven top-five finishes while finishing second in points behind teammate Josh Berry.
In 2015, Byron was signed to drive in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East for HScott Motorsports with crew chief Justin Marks, and he added sponsorship from Liberty University to his program. He won four races that season and clinched the K&N Pro Series East championship. The same year, he made his ARCA Racing Series debut at Lucas Oil Raceway and added select starts in the K&N Pro Series West, building the résumé that convinced Kyle Busch Motorsports to give him a full-time Camping World Truck Series ride for 2016.
William Byron Career
Early Career (2012-2015)
Byron’s earliest real racing came in Legend Cars, where his 2012 Young Lions Division title announced him as a teenage talent worth watching. His late model season at Hickory Motor Speedway in 2014 sharpened his skills against experienced competitors, and his four-win run through the K&N Pro Series East in 2015 confirmed that he was ready for the national series ladder. The combination of family support, simulator experience, and steady results in stock cars created a clear path toward NASCAR’s national touring divisions.
Craftsman Truck Series Breakthrough (2016)
On October 29, 2015, Kyle Busch Motorsports announced that Byron would run a full NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule in 2016 behind the wheel of the No. 9 Toyota Tundra. After a rough opening stretch at Daytona and Atlanta, he earned his first Truck Series win at Kansas Speedway in May, then collected additional victories at Texas, Iowa, Kentucky, and Pocono, breaking the Camping World Truck Series record for most wins by a rookie with seven total trips to victory lane. He closed the year with a Truck Series Rookie of the Year award and helped the No. 9 team clinch the owners’ championship.
Byron returned to the Truck Series on a limited basis in 2021 at Nashville Superspeedway and in 2022 delivered Spire Motorsports its first Truck Series win at Martinsville. In 2023, he rejoined Kyle Busch Motorsports for three starts at Bristol Dirt, Darlington, and North Wilkesboro. Across his Truck Series career, he has recorded eight wins, twenty top-ten finishes, and three poles.
Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2017)
On August 18, 2016, Hendrick Motorsports announced a multi-year contract with Byron, with plans to put him in the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro SS for JR Motorsports in the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series. He opened with a runner-up finish at Michigan, then scored his first career national series win at Iowa Speedway, followed by an overtime victory at Daytona. He later added wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Phoenix, which locked him into the Championship 4 race at Homestead–Miami Speedway, where he held off Elliott Sadler to capture the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award.
Byron returned to the Xfinity Series in 2022 with the No. 88 at JR Motorsports, posting a second-place run at Texas, and in 2023 he added a runner-up finish at Circuit of the Americas in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 17. He ran four Xfinity races in 2024 at Phoenix, Darlington, Pocono, and Watkins Glen, and in 2025 he drove the No. 17 to victory lane at Charlotte. Across his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series career he has five wins, twenty-nine top-ten finishes, and three poles.
Cup Series Breakthrough (2018-Present)
On August 9, 2017, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Byron would replace Kasey Kahne in the Cup Series, and he was later moved to the iconic No. 24 Chevrolet for 2018, inheriting crew chief Darian Grubb. Chad Knaus took over crew chief duties beginning in 2019, and the pairing helped Byron clinch the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year award. In 2019, he won the Daytona 500 pole and made his first Cup Series playoffs, finishing the year as a regular Round of 12 contender.
Byron earned his first career Cup Series victory in the 2020 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, winning in overtime to advance to the playoffs. In 2021, he won at Homestead–Miami Speedway, kicked off an eleven-race top-ten streak, and finished a career-high tenth in the standings. The 2022 season brought wins at Atlanta and Martinsville, a contract extension through 2025, and a career-best sixth in points. In 2023, with crew chief Rudy Fugle, he won six Cup races, including a victory at Darlington that marked the 100th win for the No. 24, and finished third in the standings.
Hendrick Motorsports Era (2018-Present)
Byron’s move into the No. 24 at Hendrick Motorsports paired him with a deep support staff and a steady flow of sponsorship from Axalta and Liberty University. In 2024, he opened the year by winning the Daytona 500, the first win for the No. 24 in that race since Jeff Gordon in 2005, and he added victories at the Circuit of the Americas and Martinsville, where Hendrick Motorsports swept the top three positions on the team’s fortieth anniversary. Despite a quiet playoff stretch, he advanced to the Championship 4 at Phoenix and finished third in the final standings.
Byron started 2025 with his second consecutive Daytona 500 victory, becoming the fifth driver in history to win back-to-back Daytona 500s, and he received a contract extension that keeps him at Hendrick Motorsports through 2029. He later won at Iowa Speedway and at Martinsville to clinch another Championship 4 berth, while also collecting the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship. With crew chief Rudy Fugle, spotter Branden Lines, and continued manufacturer support from Chevrolet, Byron has been a regular presence in the Cup Series playoffs.
Driving Style and Strengths
Byron is recognized for his calm, mistake-free approach, and he has built a reputation for consistent finishes on intermediate tracks and superspeedways. He pairs strong qualifying speed with disciplined pit-stop work, and his partnership with crew chief Rudy Fugle has produced a clear communication style on and off pit road. His comfort on road courses has also improved, highlighted by wins at Watkins Glen, and his stock car instincts shine on short tracks like Martinsville.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature moments include back-to-back Daytona 500 wins in 2024 and 2025, the 100th victory for the legendary No. 24 at Darlington in 2023, and the milestone 300th Hendrick Motorsports Cup Series win at Texas in 2023. He also became the twelfth driver in NASCAR history to win a race in all three national series at the same track when he triumphed at Iowa. Earlier, his seven Truck Series wins as a rookie in 2016 set a record that still stands.
William Byron Career Wins
Byron’s win list spans all three of NASCAR’s national series, and his most important trophies include the 2017 Xfinity Series Championship, the 2015 K&N Pro Series East Championship, the 2024 and 2025 Daytona 500s, and the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship. In the Cup Series alone he has accumulated sixteen wins, one hundred twenty-eight top-ten finishes, and sixteen poles. He also has eight Truck Series wins and five Xfinity Series wins to his credit.
Cup Series Highlights
Byron’s first Cup victory came in the 2020 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, a dramatic overtime win that locked him into the playoffs, and he has since added signature victories at Homestead–Miami Speedway, Atlanta, Martinsville, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Darlington, Watkins Glen, Texas, the Circuit of the Americas, and Martinsville again. His best points finishes are third in 2023 and 2024. He has also been a regular qualifier for the Cup Series playoffs, reaching the Championship 4 in 2024 and 2025.
Other Wins and Performances
In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Byron’s seven wins in 2016 remain a rookie record, and he added an eighth Truck win with Spire Motorsports at Martinsville in 2022. He has also collected trophies in late model competition, including the 2022 Slinger Nationals, the 2022 and 2023 Clyde Hart Memorial, the 2022 Money in the Bank 150, the 2022 North-South Super Late Model Challenge, and the 2022 Orange Blossom 100, and he swept all four of his 2015 ARCA Menards Series East starts with wins.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup Series | 16 | 128 | 16 |
| NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (Xfinity) | 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 Byron and Dana Byron, and he grew up alongside his older sister, Kathryn. His father played an active role in guiding him into the sport, working with him to transition from iRacing to real Legend Cars in 2012. The family has remained a steady presence throughout his career, including a public moment in May 2021 when Byron shared that his mother Dana was being treated for a MALT lymphoma tumor in the left side of her brain, an update he followed with news in July 2021 that she had healed from the disease.
Personal Life
Byron is a Christian and has spoken openly about the role his faith plays in his racing career, often saying he sees his platform as a way to encourage others. He is an Eagle Scout, a milestone that reflects his commitment to service outside the garage. Byron is in a relationship with Hailey McGregor, and the couple has been a regular presence at races and team events throughout his Cup Series career.
2025 Season Performance
Byron opened 2025 with one of the biggest moments of his career, winning his second straight Daytona 500 and becoming the fifth driver in NASCAR history to go back-to-back in the Great American Race. The early season was defined by consistent finishes that kept him near the top of the Cup Series standings, and on May 23, 2025, Hendrick Motorsports announced a contract extension that keeps him in the No. 24 through 2029. His second victory of the year came at Iowa Speedway, and his third win of 2025 arrived at Martinsville, locking him into the Championship 4 for the second straight season.
Behind the wheel of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Byron has worked closely with crew chief Rudy Fugle and spotter Branden Lines, and the chemistry inside the team has translated into a strong playoff push. He also picked up the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship, an award that recognizes consistency across the twenty-six-race regular season schedule. With three wins in the bag, another Championship 4 appearance, and a contract that secures his long-term future, Byron enters the final stretch of 2025 as one of the championship favorites.
