"There's no negatives to winning": William Byron comments on surge in media attention compared to 2024's Daytona win

William Byron recently reflected on the increased media attention following his 2025 Daytona 500 victory compared to last season. Byron’s back-to-back triumph at Daytona Beach made waves across the sport, drawing him significant recognition.

North Carolina native William Byron pilots the #24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Over seven seasons, he has amassed 26 victories across NASCAR’s top divisions, including 13 in the Cup Series. His accolades include the 2017 Xfinity Series championship and the 2016 Truck Series regular-season title, along with the distinction of being a two-time Daytona 500 winner.

Recently, Byron reflected on winning NASCAR's most prestigious event not just once, but twice. The 27 year old's monumental achievement has brought in more attention to him than usual, as nearly every driver aspires to win the Great American Race, which Byron has now done twice.

"I think they tripled what I did last year but it's fine. I think that there's no negatives to winning right? You get a chance to go and do things that you don't normally get a chance to do and you just try to embrace it because the last seven-eight months, we hadn't won a race and so I think anytime that happens, you realize how difficult this sport is and just try to enjoy it as much as you can," said William Byron [00:57].

"Once you get a week removed from it, it's just business as usual and just trying to go and and have the best finish you can. The intensity doesn't change at all, especially I think as we have gotten further along in our careers, it's just about trying to to continue to build," he added.

Byron's victory at Daytona International Speedway was not just a personal feat as the #24 pilot not only became the youngest driver to secure multiple wins in the Daytona 500, but also marked Hendrick Motorsports' 10th win in the prestigious event.

Notably, Byron is all set to compete at COTA for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on Sunday. Catch him live exclusively on FOX and SiriusXM.

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"I’m finally comfortable": William Byron opens up to Michael Waltrip after breaking Jeff Gordon’s Daytona 500 record

Before William Byron’s back-to-back Daytona 500 victories, four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon held the distinction of being the youngest driver to win the prestigious race multiple times. Notably, Gordon achieved most of his Cup Series success behind the wheel of the #24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports—the same car in which Byron broke his record.

Recently, the North Carolina native spoke with Michael Waltrip where he revealed that he now feels comfortable enough in the #24 Chevy, despite 'skepticism' in the past. Following his Daytona triumph, Byron said:

"I don't know how your experience was, but for me, driving into Daytona, I was really happy about being there. In the past, it's been skepticism, where it's been like, hey, I don't know what can happen."

"I feel like I'm finally comfortable in the #24 car. Like I'm finally comfortable in that car with him(Jeff Gordon) as one of my bosses. Like I'm ready to just keep racing. I just want to keep doing it for my team." William Byron added.

Meanwhile, the race at COTA will start at 3:30 PM Eastern time.