William Byron has rapidly ascended the ranks of professional auto racing, establishing himself as one of the NASCAR Cup Series’ top competitors. Now 28 and entering his ninth season at the sport’s highest level, he continues to pilot the iconic No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, once again paired with crew chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle. Their partnership has yielded consistent success, and Byron has built one of the strongest résumés in the garage.
 

His path to NASCAR stardom has been anything but conventional. Unlike most drivers who begin racing in early childhood, Byron didn’t step into a real race car until age 16. Prior to that, he developed his race craft as a sim racer, winning more than 100 virtual races while studying the sport. His transition to real-world competition was remarkable. At 18, he produced a record-setting rookie season in the NASCAR Truck Series, winning seven races under Fugle’s guidance. One year later, he captured the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at 19, then earned NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors at 20.

Byron’s Cup Series breakthrough came in 2019 with his first playoff appearance, followed by his first career win at Daytona International Speedway in 2020. Additional victories at Homestead-Miami in 2021 and multiple wins in 2023 marked his rise as a weekly contender. That 2023 season proved pivotal, as Byron recorded a career-high six wins, advanced to the Championship 4 for the first time, and finished third in the final standings.

He carried that momentum into 2024, highlighted by a Daytona 500 victory and a two-year stretch in which he led the series with 42 top-10 finishes, posted an 11.9 average finish, won nine races, and reached the Championship 4 in consecutive seasons. Byron continued that form in 2025, opening the year by successfully defending his Daytona 500 title and becoming only the fifth driver to win The Great American Race in back-to-back seasons. He added a second regular-season victory at Iowa, claimed his first regular-season championship, and—facing elimination—scored a dramatic walk-off win at Martinsville to advance to his third straight Championship 4 appearance.