"We’ve got enough cars now" - William Byron's crew chief tells him to stop being 'conservative' and 'go race'

William Byron is working hard to ensure that he takes the No. 24 legacy higher than his predecessor Jeff Gordon, who is now the assistant executive at Hendrick Motorsports, had. The 24-year-old driver has already pocked two wins so far this season, bringing his tally to four career wins since making his Cup Series debut in 2018.

The 2022 season kicked off with the debut of NASCAR's Next-Gen car. As the season has progressed, it has become evident that the new car is stronger and more durable than the last generation's car. However, since the machinery is new and the supply of parts is limited, drivers need to be more conservative so they don’t miss a race due to a lack in stock.

William Byron’s crew chief Rudy Fugle is among the crew chiefs who have been ensuring that their drivers play safe with the parts available. However, this is no longer the case for the Hendrick Motorsports team. The Charlotte, North Carolina native is no longer worried about the car since he was told by Fugle that they now have enough cars for him to race.

While speaking about being conservative, the Hendrick Motorsports driver said:

“I’m definitely not worried about the car, [Fugle] told me after Kansas, after we qualified 13th, he’s like, ‘I’m done telling you to be conservative. Just go race. We’ve got enough cars now’.”

Though he has collected two wins this season, Byron has been far from consistent. His performances at the start of the season left much to be desired; hopefully, he can bring his winning form back more consistently over the rest of the season.

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William Byron's performances in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season

During last year’s season, apart from the first two races, where he recorded a P26 and P33 finish, William Byron showed strong form by bagging eleven consecutive top-ten finishes, including a win at Miami.

However, when we analyze this year’s performances, Byron finished outside the top 20 thrice in the last 14 races. He has had a sprinkle of top 20 and top 10 finishes as well.

In Darlington, for instance, he was about to collect his third win of the season, but Joey Logano decided to steal the show by bumping him and taking the lead. He also recorded an 11th-place finish in the All-Star Race last weekend.

William Byron will be looking to have a strong finish in the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.