“You’re seeing the fruits of all his hard work”: William Byron’s progression makes Hendrick Motorsports ‘super proud’

William Byron has enjoyed a strong start to his sixth Cup Series campaign with two wins in the first four races of the season. The Hendrick Motorsports driver recorded back-to-back victories in Las Vegas and Phoenix. Byron has emerged as a championship contender with 13 playoff points and two wins in the bag.

William Byron has teamed up with crew chief Rudy Fugle for the 2023 season, with whom he started working in 2020 in the Cup Series.

Fugle spoke to NASCAR after the Phoenix race and 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."

Jeff Gordon, vice-chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, also believes that Fugle joining the team helped the 25-year-old up his game.

William Byron entered the world of stock racing via a unique path. He started out with iRacing, then switched from a virtual setup to a stock car. Byron rose quickly through the ranks of the junior categories, winning various titles.

Byron was crowned the K&N Pro Series East champion (2015), followed by an impressive rookie year in the NASCAR Truck Series. He went on to win the Xfinity Series title in 2017 and earned a Cup Series call-up in 2018 with Hendrick Motorsports.

Over the years, Byron has made significant progress but has failed to reach the championship four. He has improved his position in the final standings in each of the previous three seasons: 14th in 2020, 10th in 2021, and sixth in 2022.

With a long season still ahead of Byron, he will hope to win the championship race when NASCAR returns to Phoenix.

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Jeff Gordon compares his early years to William Byron's career

William Byron started his career in the #24 car for Hendrick Motorsports. Jeff Gordon also drove with the same number, achieving phenomenal success with 93 race wins, and four championships.

The NASCAR Hall of Famer said about Byron's career:

"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."

With decorated teammates like Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, Byron's performances have often gone under the radar. This season, however, the Charlotte native has upped the ante, beating Larson to the line in both previous races.