William Byron feels racing at Talladega is 'a fine balance for sure'

The 2022 YellaWood 500 is set to begin on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway and William Byron will be one of the playoff drivers who will look to get a win to advance into the next round of the playoffs. The #24 has the second-best average finish of 6.00 so far in the 2022 NASCAR playoffs. He secured one top-five and three top-10 finishes in the first four playoff races.

Heading into Alabama, Byron spoke about how to balance racing at NASCAR’s longest oval track on schedule at Talladega Superspeedway. He stated that racing at the 2.66-mile-long track is more about giving and receiving a push. He also pointed out that stage points will be crucial for Talladega races as compared to regular season races.

Byron said:

“Racing at Talladega (Superspeedway) is more about how well you can push someone and how well your car can receive a push. It’s a track where you really have to be able to work with other cars to not only get to the front but also stay up there. We were running up front in the spring race and lost our help in the end to stay up front, unfortunately. Once you get back in traffic, it’s a lot harder to make your way forward.”

He continued:

“With how close the points are right now, I think stage points are going to be even more crucial Sunday than they normally are in this race. With everyone trying to get every point they can, you don’t want to put yourself at risk of not finishing the race either just trying to get a stage point. It’s a fine balance for sure.”

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William Byron’s track record at Talladega Superspeedway

William Byron will return to the track this weekend, where he has had a decent run. He has made nine appearances in the Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway, leading 94 laps since 2018, and had a track-best finish of second that same year. The 24-year-old has two stage wins at the 2.66-mile-long track, including winning Stage 2 at the GEICO 500 earlier this season. It will be interesting to see how the #24 driver fares this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

Two days ago, NASCAR handed a 25-point penalty to William Byron for bumping Denny Hamlin out of position during last week’s race. Following the penalty, he dropped from third place to tenth place in the playoff standings. He is eight points below the cut-off line going into the Talladega race.

Catch William Byron at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 2, 2022.