Daytona 500 winner William Byron called into The Bobby Bones Show to talk about his win, being a college student and more.
Byron is in his seventh season of driving and has 11 career victories, with the latest happening in February 2024 in the Daytona 500. He is also currently a student at Liberty University majoring in communications and doing online classes. He hopes to continue racing for a decade but is in school to work towards what he wants to do after. Although he does drive the Liberty racecar and they do sponsor him in other ways, he does have to pay for his classes. There are times during class where he has to do a discussion board and introduce himself and explain what he does, and it can get awkward.
The ending of the Daytona 500 was dramatic. There were a few minutes where it wasn’t clear if Byron of Alex Bowman won. It was very close when they both crossed the finish line, and it took a lap for them to review and look at the timing of who was ahead from the snapshot. He heard his crew chief start crying, and since he never gets emotional, his whole team started bawling on the radio and that’s when he knew he had won. Byron trained using a simulator and didn’t think the transition to a real car was hard. It was different but the same skills applied. When using the simulator, it’s a lot about eye focus, which you also have to use when you’re in the car, you just feel it more in your body which can be intimidating.
Back in 2022, Byron had originally been fined $50,000 and docked 25 driver and owner points for retaliating against Denny Hamlin under caution. To get rid of his point penalty, he doubled his fine to $100,000 and paid it to give his team a chance back in the playoffs. He also shared his thoughts on Joey Logano recently getting penalized for his gloves. His left glove had extra webbing between the fingers so when he would stick his hand out the window it would help manipulate the air to his advantage. Byron is unsure how much it works, but all the engineers tell the drivers to do it now. They believe if they put their hand out the window and put it flat it deflects the air out and helps the car go faster in a straight line and eliminates the air coming in the car and slowing it down.
Byron is in a position where he is viewed as one of the best drivers right now. He said it’s a unique feeling because it puts a target on his back and now everyone is measuring him and his team. He enjoys it through and feels like his team is getting strong and communicating well. He feels like everything is coming together for long term success.
Byron will race in The Shriners Children's 500 is happening Sunday, March 10, and be broadcast live on FOX.