William Byron admits the persistent weight of “expectations” of living up to Jeff Gordon's legacy: “That pressure never goes away”

William Byron has admitted to the unwavering pressure of living up to Jeff Gordon's NASCAR legacy. The Hendrick Motorsports driver inherited Gordon's #24 Chevrolet and thus, revealed being under the weight of persistent expectations to perform.

Before Byron joined HMS in 2018, his teammate Chase Elliott piloted the four-time Cup Series champion's #24 Chevy. But two years after running Gordon's machinery, Elliott switched to #9, the iconic number previously used by his father Bill Elliott. Thus, Byron became the successor of the number.

The #24 held a special place in Gordon's legacy. The legendary NASCAR driver posted four championships, 93 race wins, 325 top-5s, and 81 poles, all while piloting Rick Hendrick's Chevrolet. And with Byron taking the reins of the noteworthy number, the onus to maintain the legacy also got transferred.

It's worth mentioning that since 2018, Byron has clinched 13 wins in the #24 Chevy, including 2024's season-opener crown jewel race, the Daytona 500. He inched closer to winning his first title but salvaged a third-place finish in the standing from the past two seasons.

Despite his achievements, William Byron admitted to being under constant "pressure" to keep Gordon's legacy pristine. During a conversation with former NASCAR driver and 2014 Cup Series champion, Kevin Harvick, Byron expressed whether he's used to honing Gordon's heritage or if the expectations still pinch him.

"Driving the #24 car, it has so much meaning and it just has the history and you feel sort of responsibility to win. It never goes away, that pressure, I don't know how it would feel in a different situation, but that pressure never goes away. I won my first race, won my 12th race, it just continues. So, there's always that expectation," Byron said via NASCAR on Fox.

Notably, the HMS driver drew parallels between Gordon's feat and Baseball's New York Yankees, outlining their historical value.

When William Byron reflected on his first Daytona 500 win for Hendrick Motorsports

On February 19, 2024, William Byron clinched his career-first and HMS' ninth Daytona 500 victory. However, before cherishing the burning smell of the victory burnouts, the North Carolina native braved the opposing conditions.

Byron's odds of acing the 200-lap run were slim, owing to his P18 start. But the #24 Chevy driver amped up the pace, surging to fifth place finish in Stage 1 and sixth in the second stage. Still, triumphing in the crown jewel race wasn't on his cards, until a frantic scramble on Lap 197 restart.

The HMS driver outlasted the late-race caution, taking the white flag as the leader before Ross Chastain's #1 Trackhouse Racing Chevy instigated the fifth caution.

"I’m just a kid from racing on computers and winning the Daytona 500," William Byron said via NASCAR.

"I can’t believe it. I wish my dad was here. He’s sick, but this is for him, man. We’ve been through so much, and we sat up in the grandstands together and watched the race (when Byron was younger). This is so freaking cool,” he added.

Interestingly, William Byron's Daytona 500 win came on the same day Hendrick Motorsports ran its first race, 40 years ago at the 1984 Daytona 500.