HendrickCars.com to Sponsor Eight-Time Truck Series Winner
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 9, 2023) – Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) announced today that William Byron, the most recent winner in the NASCAR Cup Series and KBM alum, will return to the organization to compete in a three-race schedule behind the wheel of the No. 51 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this season. HendrickCars.com, the online home for everything Hendrick Automotive Group, will be the primary sponsor on Byron’s Silverado when he makes his KBM return April 8 for the Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway and the Ricky Hendrick tribute scheme will also adorn the No. 51 for the races at Darlington Raceway May 12 and North Wilkesboro Speedway May 20. All three races on Byron’s schedule will mark his first starts in the Truck Series at the respective venues.
Byron collected a Truck-Series leading seven victories and 727 laps led driving for KBM in 2016. He earned Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors that season and led the No. 9 team to an owner’s championship with his victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The North Carolina native returned to victory lane in the Truck Series last year leading a race-high 94 laps for Spire Motorsports in the HendrickCars.com Silverado at Martinsville Speedway. Across 26 career starts in NASCAR’s Truck Series, the 25-year-old driver has totaled eight wins, three poles, 821 laps led, 12 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 10.7.
With his win Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Byron now has five career NASCAR Cup Series victories. In 2022, he tallied a career-high two victories, finished a career-best sixth in the Cup Series championship standings and ranked third in the series with 746 laps led. Across 183 career Cup Series starts he has totaled eight poles, 1650 laps led, 27 top-five and 63 top-10 finishes. Between his time at KBM and graduating to the Cup Series in 2018, Byron captured an Xfinity Series championship and Rookie of the Year Honors for Jr. Motorsports in 2017 after totaling four wins, two poles, 262 laps led, 12 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes.
“I am so excited to return to racing with KBM. I’m looking forward to getting back in their trucks and hopefully having some fun for these three races,” Byron said. “These are three cool race tracks we’re paired up for and I’m interested in running at them since I haven’t raced there in a truck before. “
“Having William return to KBM for three races is going to be beneficial for our whole organization as we continue to build our notebook as a Chevrolet team,” Busch said. “You expect that he’ll compete for the win each time out, he’ll provide valuable feedback to Brian Pattie and our other crew chiefs and when it comes to the development drivers that we’ve had come through KBM, his race preparation is second to none, so he’ll be a valuable asset as a teammate to the young drivers we have in the building.
“Ricky (Hendrick) was a good friend of mine, so seeing one of my trucks hitting the track with the paint scheme he raced with in the Truck Series is going to be really special. We appreciate Rick (Hendrick) and everyone at HendrickCars.com for stepping up and making this deal possible.”
“This is a tremendous opportunity for us to continue building HendrickCars.com into a national brand through our racing partnerships,” said Greg Gach, president of Charlotte-based Hendrick Automotive Group. “We’re excited about supporting Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron, and partnering with Kyle Busch Motorsports and Chevrolet — who each have winning traditions in the Truck Series.”
ABOUT HENDRICK AUTOMOTIVE GROUP:
Representing 131 franchises and 25 manufacturer nameplates from the Carolinas to California, Hendrick Automotive Group is the largest privately held automotive retail organization in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company employs more than 10,000 people in its 95 dealership locations, 21 collision centers and four accessories distributor installers in 13 states. For more information, please visit HendrickCars.com.
ABOUT HENDRICKCARS.COM:
HendrickCars.com is the online home for everything Hendrick Automotive Group. Visitors can shop thousands of new or pre-owned vehicles, locate centers for service and collision repair, receive a value to sell or trade their car, chat online with customer service, discover career opportunities, learn more about vehicle protection programs, and explore how the company gives back to the community.
ABOUT KYLE BUSCH MOTORSPORTS:
Since debuting in 2010, Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) has quickly established itself as one of the most successful teams in all of NASCAR. Owned by two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch and fueled by his passion for winning, the organization holds the Craftsman Truck Series records for most career wins (99) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
KBM prepares a fleet of race-winning vehicles out of its state-of-the art 77,000-square-foot facility in Mooresville, N.C. Fans can stay up-to-date with all the latest KBM news online at www.KyleBuschMotorsports.com, by liking the team on Facebook (KBMteam) and by following the team on Instagram (KBMteam), and Twitter (@KBMteam).
