NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 11, 2026
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes:
How much have you thought about what Sunday could be if you were to win again?
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve been asked about that quite a bit today. I mean, not much, to be honest. I think some here and there.
Obviously that’s the goal. I think, yeah, I get reminders of the previous races, whether I see just the videos or whatnot. Yeah, it’s great career-defining moments that we’ve had. It’s awesome. It’s special. But I don’t really think ahead too much. I just think about kind of what it’s going to take in these next couple days leading up to it.”
Why do you feel like you’re so good at this type of racetrack?
“Yeah, I don’t know. My goal is to be good at all the styles of racing. I don’t put an emphasis more on this than others. If anything, kind of less in some ways because I feel like, you know, some of it is out of your control. But I do feel like I have a good instinct for making good decisions on the track. I have a great spotter in Branden that guides me well and a really good team with a well-prepared car that handles well and does all the things I want it to do. I think it’s just a combination of all those things and kind of just having a good overall feel for it.”
Is it more excitement? What do you feel third year in a row?
“I feel really excited. I’m ready to get racing again. I feel like I had a great off-season, but I found myself in the off-season… just feeling like I actually wanted to get back in the car. I wanted to experience those emotions again. I kind of missed that.
There’s a lot of aspects I didn’t miss, but the aspect of racing and being in the car with my guys and everything, that I really missed as the off-season went on.
Yeah, I think that’s just kind of what I’m looking forward to. I guess I’m looking forward to Thursday night; just getting in the Duel and dicing it up. I had a lot of fun at the Clash. Yeah, I’m just excited about that.”
Every race win is different. How did last year’s victory compare to the year prior?
“Well, I mean, it was very unpredictable. I didn’t really feel like I had a shot to win or even be in the mix until we took the white flag. Then off of turn two, I felt like, man, there’s a possibility that something develops where I can maybe push Cole to the win, push him out, then have a run at the line or something like that. I knew we were in the right lane down the backstretch.
When it all unfolded with the wreck, I was just hoping that I would have a lane to get past that. Just worked out that I felt like I was in the right lane coming off of two and middle of the backstretch. Then, it was just about obviously missing the big crash there and having enough momentum to make a move if I needed to.”
What’s the best part of this week for you?
“That’s a good question. The best part to me is probably the Duel tomorrow night. When you get in that race, you get the juices flowing again; you feel those feelings again. That is almost more intense than the 500 in some ways.
I feel like those first couple laps of the Duel, you’re getting your bearings and there’s a lot happening quickly.
Yeah, I look forward to that more than anything. I look forward to Saturday afternoon, kind of getting a chance to take a breath and think about Sunday. So I’d say those two moments.
But yeah, for me, the Duel is really fun, and I enjoy that.”
The final green flag stop in stage three where you know from there, it’s no more sitting back and waiting, how do you set yourself up mentally for that?
“I think the moment can’t be too big. Obviously, the most important part of the race is kind of that sequence. But you can’t feel too rushed or can’t feel too intense, personally. I think, yeah, I mean, you just hope that all your details are right there. You hope that your execution of the pit stop, execution of the fuel saving, whatever that may be, all of that is good. You hope that you’ve done enough work with your team to have that confidence and that calmness in those moments.”
Do you have a certain place you like to be in the race?
“ Yeah, I think the middle groove could be a good place to be. Just have to see how the draft kind of works this week and understand it better.
But yeah, I think being in that top-four is probably where I would like to be. I would like to be a pusher or being pushed. I think having control of the race is great, if it’s a restart. I think sometimes having control too soon can be kind of a death wish, as well, because guys are just going to have opportunities to make passes on you.
I don’t know if that answers it, but kind of in that mix, I guess.”
If you’re a pusher, you’re also controlling, aren’t you?
“Yeah, you are. I think in some ways with this package, you have more control as the guy pushing. You feel calmer so you can make a little better decision, maybe. Sometimes that move never materializes, where you have a chance to make a decision. It definitely varies.”
Does it surprise you that nobody has won three Daytona 500’s?
“It does surprise me in that I feel like there’s been some drafting packages that were honestly easier to win three in a row than this one currently. I’m a little surprised that there wasn’t a run by somebody like a Dale Jr. or something. He and his team had a pretty good hold on what it took to be competitive and he made great decisions. It just shows how hard this race is and how much pressure there is.
It’s not like going to Martinsville and just having it figured out; having a rhythm, leading a bunch of laps and winning. It’s definitely a very circumstantial… split-second race. I think that’s probably what makes it entertaining, too.”
Do you anticipate racing this week will be different, more people going with you when you go because you’re a 500 winner, or maybe the opposite happening where he’s won enough?
“I think it will be the opposite, for sure. I won’t have a lot of friends. I could see it being that way.
Yeah, I think it does depend on how you draft. If you know what you’re doing and you make good decisions, then guys typically work with you.
I do think coming down to the end, it could be tough for me to have those allies and those friends to make a move. Just got to be smart about it and probably not overthink it too much. Just react to what I feel and what I see.”
Why do you think you’ve been so good here? What makes a great racer at this racetrack?
“I mean, I don’t know. It just feels like I’ve been, at this track in particular, able to have some things go my way and also make good decisions in those moments that I had opportunities. It’s a mix of that… like being in the right place, and then having those chances to make good decisions.
I feel like for a while, it was a joke. I couldn’t finish a race here. My first six years, I couldn’t finish the race, but I was always in the mix. I don’t know. I think it’s kind of finally tipped the other way.
Yeah, I wish I could have, honestly, some of that success at Talladega. I think that’s been a place that I haven’t really had as much success. It just feels like this place, it requires a little bit different formula than it does there.”
When it comes to drafting, how does the new Chevy body factor into that?
“Yeah, selfishly, I think if I could be in the second Duel, it would be great to get a visual for what that looks like; how they’re doing it in the first Duel, then execute that or try it myself in the second.
Yeah, I think it’s an unknown, for sure. It looks a lot better on paper. It looks like it’s going to be an advantage, possibly, or something we haven’t had in the past. Hopefully that’s the case.”
About General Motors
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.
