“It’s a constant evolution”: William Byron reveals what it took to ‘bridge’ the gap with his competitors

Winner of last weekend's United Rentals Work United 500 at Phoenix Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron seems to be on a roll in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. The Charlotte, North Carolina native has managed to sweep two Cup Series races in the past couple of weeks, taking back-to-back trips to Victory Lane in Avondale, Arizona last Sunday (March 12).

The 25-year-old is part of a group of heavy-hitting talents in Rick Hendrick's racing team, with champion teammates such as Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, along with Alex Bowman to prove his mettle against. With 13 playoff points already to his name, along with his two wins, William Byron looks set to be making his appearance in this year's post-season, challenging for the title.

Elaborating on how he managed to close the gap in his skill set after starting a little later compared to his peers, Byron said:

“This level’s so different, and it took a lot of homework, a lot of details. The fact that I started later than most driving, it took some time to bridge that gap at this level. Now that gap is bridged, obviously, but I just feel like it’s a constant evolution and just trying to continue to get better.”

Expected to follow in the footsteps of former driver Jeff Gordon, who drove the #24 Chevrolet at Hendrick Motorsports before Byron did, the 25-year-old somewhat fell under the radar due to possibly putting himself under too much pressure to perform.

With a unique path to the sport, graduating from the racing simulator iRacing to driving in the highest echelon of stock car racing, William Byron has come a long way. If his current performance is anything to go by, he still has a long way left ahead of him.

Now acting as Vice Chairman for the team he once drove for, Jeff Gordon elaborated on the pressure William Byron must have been under and said:

“The perspective I have now, it’s just really great to see a team mature, a team grow and evolve, and you see all the things that they are doing behind the scenes to get there. You can’t just show up to the track and all of a sudden, ‘Bam!’ you clicked on it."

"These guys have had to work really hard to get there, and I just see a progression of William ever since he came to Hendrick.”

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Rudy Fugle speaks his mind on William Byron's progression in the sport

Rudy Fugle, crew chief for the #24 crew and William Byron at Hendrick Motorsports also elaborated on how the Charlotte, North Carolina native has progressed in the sport.

He said:

“With William, I guess he’s the guy that’s gotten here mostly by being one of the best at preparing during the week. Then, you have the experience that he’s starting to get over and over now, and you’re seeing the fruits of all his hard work paying off, so that’s what I’m super proud of.”

Watch William Byron try and continue his momentum this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.