NASCAR CUP SERIES
ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 22, 2025
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series’ qualifying session at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Media Availability Quotes:
Have you heard from Sabrina Carpenter yet (laughs)?
“(Laughs) That’s a good one. No.. it was cool to have a little bit of fun with that. We’ll see where it goes.”
We’re going on year four of racing at this track since the reconfiguration. What has surprised you about what it takes to get around this track in a pack and be competitive, compared to Talladega and Daytona? Is it more mentally or physically taxing?
“Yeah, I honestly think it’s really challenging. Especially as the track starts to age, it’s just a blend between Daytona and Talladega. Obviously, you’re not able to run wide open throttle, really, ever until, I would say, the end of the race or if you’re one of the top two or three cars. For us, it’s a blend. You have to be lifting in the corners. Your car has to handle well to run various lanes because, really, I would say any of the cars can run sort of the bottom to middle. But to be able to move around and make passes effectively and put yourself into some bad aero situations, you have to be able to handle well. So I think it’s challenging. I hope it continues to age. I was a little disappointed that the tire isn’t softer this weekend because I felt like the tire has been hard to feel and get ahold of. But I think it will still put on a great race and I think towards the end of the race, you’ll probably see the pack racing that you normally do, just because I feel like the surface takes a bit to get some rubber into it and then it picks up some grip as we go. It’s unique, for sure.”
You got to the do the DAYTONA 500 media tour for the second time. What was your favorite about this year’s tour, and did you get to do anything different this year than you didn’t get to do for your first DAYTONA 500 win?
“Yeah, I mean I got to do a lot more than I feel like last year, especially with the circumstances of last year’s race being on a Monday. So for us, Monday Night RAW was a really fun, unique, experience. I had never been to a wrestling match, so I really enjoyed that, honestly. And then obviously going to New York and then we were here yesterday doing a bunch of stuff with the Braves, the Weather Channel and CNN. It was cool. It’s been a crazy week, but that’s what you want. You don’t think about all that stuff when you’re trying to win the race. I think it’s cool that we won. It’s cool that we got the chance to really go and do some fun stuff.”
Is the DAYTONA 500 one of those wins where it doesn’t fully set in while you’re in the midst of that whirlwind?
“Yeah, I mean it was in that moment because of the way the race played out there at the end and just sort of the shock on my face. But yeah, I think everyone’s a little bit different. But this one, I tried to take it in a lot as I went through it and thought about what it meant. I feel like the DAYTONA 500 is a win that, over time, you grow more and more fond of. So I feel like that’s unique.. I haven’t really had a win like that in my career.”
Inaudible..
“It just makes me chuckle. Yeah I think for me, there’s definitely — we know that. Really for me, when I started superspeedway racing, I treated it as luck, and I didn’t think strategy really worked out very well. So for me, I just go into it and try to control the things that I can control. Obviously I was fortunate in that situation, but I made moves leading up to that that put me in that position. I sensed that it was coming and just tried to position myself. So I don’t know.. I don’t really read too much into stuff outside of my circle of people. Obviously I’m proud of the win. I’m not going to apologize for it. I’m excited for my team.”
With the win came a lot of fun. What was the best part about yesterday that you can think of?
“Yeah, there was a lot of cool parts of yesterday, as well. I think the Braves, being a part of their organization and seeing the locker rooms and some of those things, was really cool. Definitely grew my appreciation for everything there. Some of the other interviews were really fun, as well. Yeah, it’s just been a whirlwind.”
You did burnouts in the outfield?
“Yeah, that was pretty fun. That was unique (laughs).”
I wasn’t aware you went on the Weather Channel.. what did you do on the Weather Channel?
“(laughs) Nothing productive.. I wasn’t giving any weather reports.”
What questions does the Weather Channel ask the defending DAYTONA 500 champion?
“They actually asked some of the best questions. They were very detailed and asked a lot about strategy. They asked about rain delays and how that changes your mindset. One of the most common questions this week was the rain delay and how that changed my outlook on the race. That was cool to hear some of their questions.”
Where did the 2024 DAYTONA 500 winning car go or where is it going?
“That’s a great question. I don’t know.. I feel like it’s probably going to go in the museum or something like that. I don’t know.. I don’t know if we’re going to use that car again. With the Next Gen allotment, you can’t really retire cars as often, so I’m not sure if we’re going to retire it or race it again. It might be raced again.. we’ll see.”
Was there one congratulatory message you received this week that maybe surprised you?
“I received a lot.. probably over like 300. But I think really just the people that are close to me. That was what meant the most and just being able to celebrate with them. Some of the Hurricanes guys, they were quick to reach out. It was cool, really, to just experience it with my family and friends back home in Charlotte. Got a chance to do that on Wednesday, so that was probably the best part of the week, for me.”
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