William Byron is heading into his eighth season behind the wheel of the No. 24 car for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series. The No. 24 is part of NASCAR history having been driven by the legendary Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon for his entire career (1993-2015).
William Byron on Daytona 500
Gordon, a four-time Cup Series champion, now serves as Hendrick’s vice chairman, making the connection between the team and this iconic number extra special.
Speaking about it on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast Byron compared the experience to the likes of playing for an MLB team that has 27 World Series championships. He said, “It’s like being on the Yankees.”
He added, “I’m comfortable because it’s our own thing now. It’s our own car. We made it our own, but I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. It’s just such a historic place. Driving the No. 24 car, it honestly has so much meaning. It just has the history, and you feel sort of a 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, I won my 12th race, it just continues, so there’s always that expectation, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. I love driving there, and I feel like it’s a nice home for me.”
As the 2025 NASCAR season kicks off on Sunday, Byron is looking to add more wins to his illustrious career. He has 13 career wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, with two of them coming at Daytona, including last season’s victory. He also earned four wins in the Xfinity Series in 2017, again with one at Daytona.
As for Gordon, beyond the role of Vice-President, he also works as a broadcaster for NASCAR on FOX, providing analysis and commentary for races.
