NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 12, 2025
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes
Is the drive to win the Daytona 500 the same motivation, same desire now that you already have one?
“Yeah, I do. I have more joy coming down here than I did before. I have more passion and excitement for this race than I did before. I feel like having experienced it the way it was last year really changed my perspective on the race as a whole in a good way, obviously. I feel that’s created some more motivation to get another one. This race, it’s a lifetime achievement. It’s something people reference everywhere you go. It’s something that the first time in my career I’ve had something like that. It makes it cool, it makes it more special, because you can tell people care about the race.”
What are the things at Daytona as a driver you can control?
“I think there is so many aspects. The way that you position yourself at the end of the race. It starts tonight. You can get yourself on the front row, and that gives you a great opportunity to not have to stress about the Duels. And then if you’re not locked in on the front row, you have to race the Duels and understand what your car has and try to keep it in one piece. It’s a process throughout the week, then obviously, Sunday is about positioning yourself as the stages go along and really like the last 20 laps of the race essentially. It’s just a process. You really can’t think too far ahead. I’m not thinking about Sunday at all yet. Just trying to get through tonight and check the boxes that I need to to have a good qualifying lap.”
As the track surface gets older, has handling become more of a premium since you started at the Cup level?
“Yes and no. This car has a lot of drag, so with that comes lower speeds and more downforce. This car doesn’t really require as much handling, but it’s still going to matter. If we were back on the old surface or with the old Gen 6 car, yeah, we’d be slipping around quite a bit. This car is pretty stuck to the track here. It’s all relative, though. I think that the cars are going to get more and more trimmed out as the teams get smarter, so we’re probably going to have something a bit more unique here than we’ve seen in years past with the way it handles.”
How does the lack of practice here affect you?
“It doesn’t affect us at all. Practice here is like such a façade, really. You’re not around enough cars There’s not enough energy in the pack to really know what the car is going to do. The Duels are your best practice. That’s when everyone is at ten-tenths. The thing about practice at a speedway is like, especially if you’re going out drafting, guys are pulling on and off the track, so the energy is changing every lap. That’s not really conducive to what the race is like. The Duels are our best chance to learn, and then really like maybe some laps on Friday, you might learn here or there. But you’re going to learn mostly in the Duels and obviously, in the race on Sunday.”
Is it kind of cool to race against a four-time Indy 500 champion (in Helio Castroneves)?
“It is sweet. The funniest thing about that is I look over next to my bus right when I got back from practice, and it’s Helio’s bus. I didn’t even realize that when I got here, but that’s pretty neat to have an Indy 500 champion like that next to you in the bus lot, and then obviously, racing on the racetrack. Yeah, it’s awesome.”
Talk about the entry list and the wide variety of drivers…
“Yeah, it shows kind of the momentum of the sport really. We went through a dip where we didn’t really have a lot of open drivers or people trying to make the race, and now we’re back to having a few more. It’s awesome. It’s good that it’s quality cars, and I’ll be excited to look and see what’s going on. I’ve got to understand the system and how it all works, because apparently one guy is locked in but I’ve got to understand who is on the bubble to watch that race when I’m not racing myself.”
Depending on where you qualifying, how much will you be aware of other open cars trying to qualify?
“I don’t have any awareness of that. For me, if I’m on the racetrack, I’m just going to try and win. If they’re racing in the other Duel or if I get out of the car, I’ll look at it.”
Having such a marathon week to start the season, does that help with the suddenness of the grueling schedule?
“It does. I honestly look forward to this week. It’s kind of like a little bit of a Spring Break. You’re down here forever, and you have obviously a lot of obligations, but I enjoy it because it’s a nice lead in versus The Clash. It’s so sudden, and you’re in such a different environment. You don’t have the garages or your hauler. This race gives you a chance to kind of settle in, get all of your stuff acclimated, and then you hit the road after that.”
Is there anything cool you get now rather than before you won the Daytona 500?
“I think just the trophy itself is probably the coolest thing. The side effect I always thought about was all the media you had to do and what that would feel like, but it’s honestly been great. It’s not bad, but just the trophy itself is such a historic trophy and it’s unlike any other one I’ve had.”
Is there anything you can learn from this race and take to Atlanta?
“I don’t know. I don’t feel like the answer for me is no because I feel like here, you really have to… it’s a totally different positioning race. Atlanta has that hybrid effect where you have a little bit of drafting but you also have lifting, and it’s kind of that five-fifty style mile-and-a-half race.”
Does your confidence go up on speedways after winning this race?
“Not exactly, no. I feel like for me, it was honestly the success we had after that throughout the year on drafting tracks where I felt like we were constantly up to the front. It wasn’t instant, perse, but as soon as we continued to have a good year on drafting tracks, I felt like that built some confidence.”
Talk about the case of NASCAR athletes being athletes…
“That’s a great question. I think with the way tech is now, like having my Whoop band on when I’m in the racecar, it’s one of the hardest workouts that I do throughout my week. Your heartrate is elevated, you’re in this kind of iso-position, which nowadays with yoga and everything people are doing, they understand how difficult that is to kind of fight the g-forces and hold yourself in that position. You’re making micro-adjustments all the time. I think that ten years ago, it was ‘Oh, drivers aren’t athletes,’ but if you’re not an athlete nowadays, you’re going to have a tough time. It’s just the nature of these cars and how rigid they’ve got, and how close the racing gets.”
What does it feel like coming back here after August?
“I feel like in the summer, it’s just kind of weird because you’re so in the middle of your season, you’re focused on that. Coming back here, being back for the (Daytona) 500 definitely feels special. Just have that excitement and genuine joy for the race. I think I’m just excited for the week.”
How much has the racing changed in the last three years here at Daytona?
“The racing has just got really tight and competitive, and everybody is sort of in a really tight gridlock. So it’s really hard to make moves. Three-wide is tough to make. I feel like you’ve got to be up towards the front. Track position is really important, and you have to be towards the front side coming down to the end. I think in the past, that was the case, but you could see a guy win from 10th on the last lap. I just don’t think that’ll happen in this package anymore.”
How do you approach the “Big One?”
“It’s just the nature of the race. I think, for me, I don’t really focus on that aspect. It’s just the nature of the event and I feel like it makes it exciting.”
With being close to the championship the past few years, how big of a deal is it to you to get started off right?
“It’s not a huge deal. I think that this season is really long. I would like for us to continue to improve. I think that’s the biggest thing. Yeah, you want to get a win in early. It takes some pressure off from the outside, but really you continue to strive for more. Sometimes you don’t see the champion get really hot until the second half of the year. Not saying that’s the right formula, but I’m just saying you’ve got to be consistent throughout the year and try to win every week. That’s our goal. We’re not really thinking about trying to make a statement or anything like that, it’s just trying to go out there and execute every week.”
How much does a really good paint scheme affect you walking up to your car? Does it affect your psyche?
“It does. You know when you’re stepping into a really nice looking racecar and something that you’re proud of. Also, the attention and the craft with my guys and how much effort they put into the racecar. It does. For me personally, it affects how I feel getting into the racecar. Obviously, once I put the helmet on, it is what it is, but I think having a good-looking racecar, having a car that your guys have put a lot of effort into, that means a lot.”
Have you thought about what a back-to-back Daytona 500 would mean to you?
“No, I don’t really think about the history. There are so many things, so many boxes to check as this week goes. Obviously, that’d be a great footnote after the race is over, but right now, there are so many things to get to that point. It’s just thinking about all of my processes to get to the end on Sunday.”
One more win gives Hendrick Motorsports the most all time. You’re known to win some big races. Where would that factor in if winning another one?
“Hendrick Motorsports has so much history as it is, and I feel like they just add in another win would be more to that. I’m excited for the week. I’m really ready to get going. I feel like all of our teams are really prepared and we’re just ready to go.”
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