William Byron is stepping into his eighth season behind the wheel of the historic No. 24 car for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series. The No. 24 car carries significant weight in the racing world, as it was famously driven by Jeff Gordon, a NASCAR Hall of Famer and four-time Cup Series champion, from 1993 to 2015. Gordon now plays a vital role as the team’s vice chairman.
Driving such an iconic vehicle comes with its own set of challenges. Byron compared this experience to playing for a Major League Baseball team that boasts an impressive 27 World Series championships during a recent appearance on “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour.”
“I’m comfortable because it’s our own thing now,” Byron shared with host Kevin Harvick. “It’s our car. We made it our own, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s like being on the [New York] Yankees. It’s such a historic place. Driving the [No.] 24 car holds immense meaning. The history is palpable, and there’s a sense of responsibility to win that never fades. That pressure is constant. I won my first race, I won my 12th race, and it just keeps going. There’s always that expectation, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“I love driving there, and it feels like a second home to me.”
The 2025 NASCAR season kicks off this Sunday with the highly anticipated Daytona 500, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app, taking place at Daytona International Speedway, a venue where Byron has thrived.
Among Byron’s 13 career victories in NASCAR, two have been secured at Daytona, including a win in last season’s race. Additionally, he captured four victories in the Xfinity Series during 2017, with one of those triumphs also occurring at Daytona.
On February 2, Byron faced a challenging day, finishing 18th out of 23 drivers in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray, one lap behind the leaders after a series of heats narrowed the field.
Reflecting on his recent performance, Byron finished third in total points last season, amassing 5,034 points, three wins, 13 top-five finishes, and 21 top-10 finishes.
The legacy of the No. 24 car continues to resonate, especially after Gordon retired from full-time racing following the 2016 season. He filled in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in eight races that year due to Earnhardt’s concussion. Gordon transitioned to a color commentator role for FOX Sports in 2016, a position he held until mid-2021, when he took on his current role as vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports.
At 27 years old, Byron is set to start 11th in Thursday night’s Duel 1 at Daytona, which will air at 7 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app.
