William Byron (racing driver) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids William Byron |
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Byron at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2025
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| Born | William McComas Byron Jr. November 29, 1997 Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 154 lb (70 kg) | ||||||
| Achievements | 2024, 2025 Daytona 500 Winner 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Champion Most wins by a rookie in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (7 in 2016) 2022 Slinger Nationals Winner 2022, 2023 Clyde Hart Memorial Winner 2022 Money in the Bank 150 Winner 2022 North-South Super Late Model Challenge Winner 2022 Orange Blossom 100 Winner 2019 Daytona 500 Pole Winner 2020 Bluegreen Vacations Duel Winner |
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| Awards | 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Rookie of the Year |
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| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 261 races run over 8 years | |||||||
| Car no., team | No. 24 (Hendrick Motorsports) | ||||||
| 2024 position | 3rd | ||||||
| Best finish | 3rd (2023, 2024) | ||||||
| First race | 2018 Daytona 500 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 2020 FanShield 500 (Phoenix) | ||||||
| First win | 2020 Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last win | 2025 Daytona 500 (Daytona) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 42 races run over 5 years | |||||||
| Car no., team | No. 17 (Hendrick Motorsports) | ||||||
| 2024 position | 84th | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st (2017) | ||||||
| First race | 2017 PowerShares QQQ 300 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 2024 Mission 200 at The Glen (Watkins Glen) | ||||||
| First win | 2017 American Ethanol E15 250 (Iowa) | ||||||
| Last win | 2017 Phoenix Raceway|Phoenix) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career | |||||||
| 30 races run over 6 years | |||||||
| Truck no., team | No. 07 (Spire Motorsports) | ||||||
| 2023 position | 88th | ||||||
| Best finish | 5th (2016) | ||||||
| First race | 2015 Lucas Oil 150 (Phoenix) | ||||||
| Last race | 2023 Tyson 250 (North Wilkesboro) | ||||||
| First win | 2016 Toyota Tundra 250 (Kansas) | ||||||
| Last win | 2022 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200 (Martinsville) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of November 10, 2024. | |||||||
William McComas Byron Jr. (born November 29, 1997) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He races full-time in the top NASCAR series, called the NASCAR Cup Series. He drives the No. 24 Chevrolet ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports. William also races part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He has won championships in the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series. He was also named Rookie of the Year in three different NASCAR series! William is famous for winning the Daytona 500 in both 2024 and 2025.
William Byron's Racing Journey
How William Started Racing
William Byron became interested in racing when he was just six years old. He watched a stock car race on TV and later went to a real race at Martinsville Speedway in 2006. As a teenager, he started racing online using a simulator called iRacing. He was very good, winning over 100 online races!
In 2012, when he was 15, William and his dad looked into how he could start racing real cars. He began racing Legends cars that year. This was a bit late compared to many other drivers, but he quickly caught up. In his first year, he won 33 races and became the Legends Car Young Lions Division champion.
In 2014, William joined the JR Motorsports team to race late model cars. He raced the No. 9 Liberty University Chevrolet. He earned one victory and finished second in points at Hickory Motor Speedway.
Racing in the K&N Pro Series
In 2015, William signed with HScott Motorsports to race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. His car was sponsored by Liberty University. He also kept racing late models for JR Motorsports. In his first K&N East race, he finished seventh.
William won his second race of the season at Greenville-Pickens Speedway. He started second and led every lap! He also made his ARCA Racing Series debut in July, finishing second after leading 120 laps. William won four K&N East races and became the series champion that year. He also raced in two K&N Pro Series West races, finishing fifth and second.
Success in the Craftsman Truck Series
On October 29, 2015, Kyle Busch Motorsports announced that William would race full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2016. He drove the No. 9 Toyota Tundra.
William started 2016 with some tough luck, but he quickly improved. He got his first Truck Series win in May at Kansas. He won again in Texas and Iowa, then at Kentucky and Pocono. His win at Pocono broke the record for most wins by a rookie in the Truck Series, with five victories! The old record was held by Kurt Busch with four wins in 2000.
During the playoffs, William won at New Hampshire. However, an engine problem at Phoenix stopped him from racing for the championship. He finished the season strong with a win at Homestead. He ended up with seven wins, eleven top-5 finishes, and 16 top-10 finishes in 23 races. William was named the NASCAR Rookie of the Year for the Truck Series.
He returned to the Truck Series for a few races later on. In 2022, he drove the No. 7 for Spire Motorsports and gave the team its first Truck Series win at Martinsville Speedway. In 2023, he raced for Kyle Busch Motorsports again in three races.
Winning the Xfinity Series Championship
On August 18, 2016, William Byron signed a contract with Hendrick Motorsports. He would race full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports in 2017. He drove the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro SS.
William finished second at Michigan, just missing a win. One week later, he got his first Xfinity Series win at Iowa Speedway. He won again the next week at Daytona International Speedway in an exciting overtime finish. William also won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway. His win at Phoenix put him in the final four drivers to compete for the championship. At the last race in Homestead, William won the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship! He held off his teammate Elliott Sadler in the final laps.
William returned to the Xfinity Series for a few races in 2022 and 2023. He finished second at Texas in 2022 and second at COTA in 2023. He is also scheduled to race in four Xfinity Series races in 2024.
Climbing to the Cup Series
On August 9, 2017, Hendrick Motorsports announced that William Byron would join their team in the top series, the NASCAR Cup Series, in 2018. He would drive the famous No. 24 car. William won the Rookie of the Year award in the Cup Series in 2018. This made him the second driver ever to win Rookie of the Year in three different NASCAR national series in a row!
Making the Playoffs and First Win
In 2019, William started the season strong by winning the pole position for the Daytona 500. This means he started the race from the very front! His consistent driving helped him make it into the playoffs for the first time in his Cup Series career. He made it to the Round of 12 before being eliminated.
In 2020, William won his first career Cup Series race at the Daytona International Speedway in August. It was the Coke Zero Sugar 400. He avoided several crashes and won in overtime, which helped him get into the playoffs again. However, he was eliminated after the first round.
Strong Seasons and More Wins
William had a great 2021 season. He won the third race of the year at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After that win, he had an amazing streak of eleven races where he finished in the top 10! He finished the season in a career-high 10th place in the points standings.
In 2022, William won two races early in the season, at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway. He continued to show his skill, making it to the Round of 8 in the playoffs. He finished the season in a career-best sixth place in the points standings.
Dominant 2023 Season
The 2023 season was a breakout year for William. He won back-to-back races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway. He then won his seventh career Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway. He also won at Atlanta Motor Speedway (a rain-shortened race) and Watkins Glen International.
William's sixth win of the 2023 season came at Texas Motor Speedway. This win was also special because it was the 300th victory for Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series! William finished the 2023 season in third place in the points standings, his best finish yet.
Back-to-Back Daytona 500 Wins
William Byron started the 2025 season by winning the Daytona 500 for the second year in a row! He became only the fifth driver in history to win this famous race in two consecutive seasons.
Daytona 500 Results
| Year | Team | Manufacturer | Start | Finish |
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| 2018 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33 | 23 |
| 2019 | 1 | 21 | ||
| 2020 | 4 | 40 | ||
| 2021 | 2 | 26 | ||
| 2022 | 23 | 38 | ||
| 2023 | 21 | 34 | ||
| 2024 | 18 | 1 | ||
| 2025 | 5 | 1 |
William Byron's Personal Life
William Byron was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. His parents are Bill and Dana Byron, and he has a sister named Kathryn. He went to Charlotte Country Day School and also took online classes through Liberty University. He graduated in May 2016 and is still studying business communication at Liberty University. William is also an Eagle Scout.
William is a Christian. He has said that he believes getting into racing was part of God's plan for him. He feels it helps him share his faith with others in the racing world and with fans.
In May 2021, William shared that his mother, Dana, was being treated for a type of tumor in her brain. By July, he happily announced that she had recovered from the illness.
See also
In Spanish: William Byron para niños
