"A very double-edged sword": William Byron addresses chasing personal glory versus helping Alex Bowman

Earlier this year, William Byron won his second Daytona 500 in a row. And now, heading into the last race of the regular season, at Daytona, he could potentially become the first driver since Jimmie Johnson in 2013 to win both Daytona races in a season.

However, in the race, Byron could also potentially be in a situation where he has to help his HMS teammate, Alex Bowman, advance to the playoffs. Bowman is the only Hendrick driver without a win, sitting 16th in the standings.

Talking about whether he wanted to prioritize his own win or help his teammate, William Byron said:

"Obviously we want to win. And that would help them as well. I think, we just try to go out there and win, but you have to be really mindful of, helping a teammate. It's a very double-edged sword. I want to make sure I'm making moves to advance myself forward, not advance somebody else forward." [5:40]

"I think it's learning from previous races, like learning from previous speedways. I mean, this this package is as easy as it is to say, 'Hey, I don't want to help somebody else.' You're kind of boxed in. This is pretty much a 2 by 2 race. So, you're pretty much pushing whoever's in front of you and that's how you go forward."

As for how he would separate going forward versus helping a teammate, William Byron claimed that he would focus on first 'find that guy' on the track. He hoped for a good pit cycle, tried to save fuel, and then cycled forward.

Alex Bowman addresses whether he expects help from William Byron, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott

William Byron, NASCAR Cup Series Race at Richmond - Source: Imagn

Speaking about his strategies for the race at Daytona, Alex Bowman said that he'd try to beat Tyler Reddick on points and win the race. When asked whether he found himself in a must-win position, Bowman admitted that he did because the Coke 400 tends to produce a new winner.

Because of this, Bowman claimed that he didn't feel he was in a comfortable spot and an unfortunate situation given the season he's had, and he's still in a must-win position. He was further asked whether he found comfort knowing that his teammates, William Byron, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson, were all locked in and could focus on helping him get in.

The #48 driver said his teammates would focus their efforts on winning their own race. Having said that, he claimed, via Frontstretch:

"I think we tend to work really good, really well together as a group and confident that they're going to help me all they can, but at the same time, sometimes that's easier said than done.

"So, honestly, we've put a lot of preparation into it, done a lot of work, but there's a lot of things that can happen outside of our control at a race like this. And, we're doing so many good things. Like, the result tomorrow night is going to be what it's going to be, and we're either going to make it or we're not."

Bowman claimed that regardless of his making the playoffs, he needed to 'keep performing' for the rest of the year.