NASCAR Cup Series
Chase Media Day
Team Chevy Driver Quotes
September 2, 2026
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase Media Day Quotes
Regarding if there is a championship favorite heading into the Chase:
“I mean no, I don’t really. I think it’s anyone’s game. I mean, look at how the points have swung over the year between first and second. So, I think it’s really going to be who performs the best for 10 races. I would really love to be the first seed, but I think it’s going to come down to who races well the next 10 weeks.”
Inaudible…
“I mean, you have to be good everywhere, and then the places you are not good, you have to be able to run top-five at those places where you are not capable of winning. I think it’s going to take a lot, but I think its…..I don’t know. I don’t really worry about it because it’s going to be who really runs well.”
Regarding how important it is to run well at Darlington to start the Chase:
“Yeah, I think whoever runs well at Darlington is going to get off to a really strong start. Obviously, it’s a long race. There are a lot of stage points, so whoever wins that race is going to be at a real advantage.”
Regarding strategy for the Chase format:
“I just think there is no real strategy to it, you just have to run well. You just have to go into it and run well every week.”
Regarding if there is a particular strategy the team may have:
“No, I think it just pretty straightforward – go out there and perform well. You just have to run well every race. There is no real strategy to it – just run well and don’t have bad finishes.”
Regarding new strategy in new format:
“I don’t think it changes. I think you just kind of be ready for anything and try to limit the big mistakes. That is probably the biggest thing.”
Regarding having a new car this year in the Chase:
“We have had enough races now that we kind of know what to expect. We just get out there and work on the notes that we had from the previous races, and yeah, just go perform.”
Regarding the pressure you feel going into the Chase this year:
“I mean, there is really no pressure for us. Just like everyone else, we go out there and try and perform week-to-week. It’s really week-by-week for us and try and put it all together.”
Regarding how to be good at Darlington:
“I think it takes tire management, and I think it takes having a good set up to manage your stuff. Track position is really important. It seems like the winners have come from the top-three the last few years, so it’s really important to be on your game in qualifying to be up front and go from there.”
Regarding Days of Thunder 2 Announcement:
“Yeah, it’s definitely cool and I am excited for it. It was pretty cool to see Tom (Cruise) there last weekend. I am looking forward to it.”
Regarding how much luck plays into the Chase:
“I don’t think much of it is luck as much as getting caught up in other people’s crashes or other people’s things that happen. But there is not much luck in driving around people, passing them and being in a better position on track so that you don’t get in a crash. So, there’s luck in the sense that when something happens in front of you that you can’t avoid, maybe you could have been higher up in the field. I don’t know if there is a lot of luck to it, I guess. There are things that happen to you, but there is also plenty of time to make it up when things go your way.”
Inaudible…
“We haven’t really given it much of a thought. It’s kind of a reset and a chance for us to focus on this next handful of races and go week-by-week. I think it’s more week-by-week than it’s ever been, so I am looking forward to that.”
Regarding pressure and not being the favorite:
“Yeah, we are not the favorites, and we know that. But being in that position where you can kind of go into it with an open mind and capitalize on anything is really nice, so I am looking forward to that. There’s not a lot of pressure, so we can just go out there and perform.”
Regarding how Darlington plays into the team’s strengths this season:
“Yeah, Chicago was probably one of our better races this year. Pocono was up there, too, so a couple of good intermediate races. I think the lower downforce and higher horsepower package has not been traditionally as good for us, but hopefully we’re making gains on that and we are in a better position this weekend in Darlington. I’m looking forward to it.”
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