William Byron is an under the radar rookie that has grabbed some attention within the last few weeks. His development and growth since he joined Hendrick Motorsports in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series have been starting to show with the last two results.
Rumors around the garage and grandstands on weekends were that the young driver from Charlotte probably moved up too fast into NASCAR’s top series. Also, the communication with Crew Chief Darrion Grubb perhaps wasn’t as good as it should be.
With all that being said, it’s too late now. Byron is a Cup driver and will be for many years to come. Now he is slowly showing critics that he has the potential that was expected from many early on in the year.
With an average finish of 19.4, things are slowly shifting for him and his team. The speed in the Chevrolets is also improving as we have seen from numerous teams in the last few weeks. Running in the top-10 has been something that Byron has been able to do in the last two races. That’s a major step forward from earlier in the season.
An important factor that has boosted Byron’s confidence is leading laps. At Pocono, two weeks ago, he elected to stay out of the pits under a caution which put him up front. The result was leading 10 impressive laps.
All the attention at Watkins Glen this weekend was focused on teammate Chase Elliott after he held off Martin Truex Jr. for the win, but Byron quietly had a great run.
Running in the top-15 most of the time and making his way up to the top-10 toward the end of the race made people take note of the young driver’s talent. That he did so on a road course stunned many people in a positive way about the driver.
“I feel like we are just getting faster and it’s just being easier. I don’t know if we hit everything just right today, but it was easier to run where we were. It’s fun, it’s getting there. I’m excited,” Byron said.
The sensation of speed and confidence is showing and you can tell that he has developed a comfort with the Cup car. With four races left to the start of the Playoffs, the No. 24 team could be a team that can surprise people.
Don’t count the young driver out of reaching victory lane later on in the season as his development continues to evolve.
Follow on Twitter for updates: @BryanR_305
