NASCAR CUP SERIES
NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY
MEDIA AVAILABILITY QUOTES
JUNE 29, 2024
William Byron, Driver of the No. 24 Valvoline Camaro ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Nashville Superspeedway.
Media Availability Quotes:
Where do you see things right now? You’ve obviously had such a hot start to the season. You guys were putting in good finishes, but are looking to get back to victory lane. Is this kind of the summer solstice for you, or do you feel optimistic with the tracks coming up?
“Yeah, I mean we’re certainly trying really hard. I feel like we’re preparing harder than we ever have. You know, I think we’ve just been a bit across the board, all over the board, with results. But if you look at the speed that we’ve had, Sonoma (Raceway) comes to mind as a race where we had top-three or four speed, but never really got to show that because we had a flat tire early and then got in that wreck with everyone in turn 11.
I just look at the results as a bit frustrating because we’ve been all over the board. But Iowa (Speedway) was a really good race for us.. finishing second. I feel like we just have to be able to show up week in and week out and put together those consistent weekends; communication-wise, effort-wise and limit the mistakes and just see where we are. We’re trying to climb the points ladder.. that’s important this time of year. Try to get as many bonus points as we can for the playoffs because there is kind of that seeding through the regular season standings. So I just feel like if we can get that stage win, race win or advance up the ladder in the points, that’s really what the goals are right now.”
It’s been a Hendrick Motorsports versus Joe Gibbs Racing year. What sets those two organizations apart from everyone else?
“I don’t feel like the gap is that big to the rest of the field, but I just feel like the Hendrick and Gibbs teams, for the most part, do a really good job executing races. If you look at the people, drivers and crew chiefs – everybody working together and making sure they’re minimizing the mistakes on the weekend to maximize your result. I feel like that’s what those teams do well and that’s what shows up in the results.”
Hendrick Motorsports just re-signed with Valvoline to extend that long-time partnership. Talk about what that means for the No. 24 team.
“Yeah, it means a ton because for me, growing up as a race fan, Valvoline was just one of those sponsors in racing that was iconic. You would always associate it with good teams and good drivers. I’m very proud to have their colors on the car for eight races this year and then six for the following years coming up. It just means a lot to me because it shows me that our team is doing the right things and companies like Valvoline are able to come onboard to support a race team like ours. It’s pretty cool.”
You’ve got a win on the Indianapolis oval. We’re going back there in a couple of weeks for the 30th running of the Brickyard 400. What does that mean to you being back on the oval for such an iconic race?
“You know, I always value Indy, whether it’s on the road course or the oval. But I think I speak for a lot of drivers for the fact that I feel like the oval is what we really want to be on. That’s kissing the bricks and all that emotion that comes with that, I think on the oval, is a big deal. Never got the chance to do it on the road course like I wanted to. I feel like we have been working really hard to be good on the road course, and honestly, it was one of our better tracks. But I think the oval would be just as good or better. So it’s just one of those places where for me, like Charlotte – when I go to it, I want to do really well. Probably just because of the prestige of the place itself.”
The heat this weekend, it might be one of the first really hot weekends. How do you get ready for it? What’s it going to do to the track? How is this race different than maybe the last several?
“Yeah, it’s just a lot of preparation during the week. I’m sure everyone trains a little differently, but yeah just hydrating and training; all of the things that your body needs to do better. That’s really kind of what’s on display this weekend, so it’ll be a true test for all of us. I think the weather kind of backs off a little bit tomorrow, so it won’t be as bad as today. But certainly, you have to do a good job internally to manage that stress; make sure that you’re able to make good decisions through the heat and everything.”
After Brickyard, you’re going to have 21 days between Cup races. What do you plan to do with yourself then, and are you going to pay attention to the Olympics? If so, are there any particular sports that catch your fancy?
“Yeah, I have a trip planned with my family, so that’ll be fun. I’m looking forward to that. But other than that, just try to really reset. But also it’s a chance to work and get better for the homestretch there. Definitely going to take that time to reset mentally and recharge, but still kind of work on the physical side and also the mental side to make sure that we’re ready. Anything that our team needs to do a better job of collectively, I think we’ll talk about that during those weeks and just try to come up with a good plan. And then you go into that home stretch where that’s what matters, right? Everyone knows that the playoffs and the end of the season is what we all race for, so I think we’ll go into those weeks to prepare for that.”
On watching the Olympics..
“Yeah, for sure. I like swimming, so I’ll watch a lot of the swimming. Definitely pay attention to that and maybe some of the other sports, as well.”
How much is that break needed, not only for you guys, but for the teams and everyone involved in the sport?
“Yeah, I mean I think I’ve heard Brad (Keselowski) talk about it, but I think we’re one of the few sports that doesn’t really get much of a break. You look at Formula 1 and how many races they have and a lot of other sports out there – it’s a very grueling schedule for everyone in the industry. I think it would be smart to kind of revisit all those things and see what the best approach is for the future. It’s definitely a good, much needed, break for a lot of the teams. It gives people the chance to reset and there’s probably a little better product because everyone’s probably got a little more energy in their interviews and things like that as we go down the stretch.”
Did you play a sport in high school? I think we’ve said football was your thing, but did you do something beyond that?
“Yeah, so at my high school, you had to play two sports. I raced once I was through ninth grade, so I wasn’t able to play football anymore, but I swam in high school. That kind of kept me busy during the winter when I wasn’t racing as much. I enjoyed it. So yeah, just something that I could relate to watching and kind of enjoy watching.”
You mentioned before that you guys put a lot of emphasis on road courses. How much have you put in for Chicago since that race last year?
“Yeah, I mean not really much, yet. It’s kind of week-to-week for this deal. I feel like all of the focus as been Nashville. And then yeah, when we get into this week, there will be a lot of preparation for Chicago. It wasn’t our best race, but we had some bright spots. We’ll definitely kind of lean on some of our teammates there. I feel like our Sonoma stuff will probably translate OK to there. We’ll obviously make some modifications from that to go to Chicago, but I feel like we just have to get a feel for the track this week; look at some onboards and things like that.”
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