Jeff Gordon elaborates on “no brainer” decision to extend William Byron’s HMS future

Hendrick Motorsports vice-chairman Jeff Gordon elaborated on the "no-brainer" decision to extend William Byron's contract through 2029. As Byron continues to build on the legacy of the #24 entry, Gordon said that the "desire" to get the deal done was clear from the start, and that the team wasn't considering any other options.

Byron signed a three-year contract extension in 2022, which was set to expire at the end of the ongoing season. The team has now locked him in for four more years, early in the NASCAR silly season. Announcing the extension, team owner Rick Hendrick described the 27-year-old as the "real deal" as he praised Byron's talent and work ethic.

Jeff Gordon, a four-time NASCAR champion, previously described the decision as a no-brainer, explaining that William Byron deserved to be treated as a top driver. Gordon mentioned that Byron advancing to the Championship 4 in consecutive seasons and winning back-to-back Daytona 500s made the decision easier.

Elaborating on his "no-brainer" comment, the 53-year-old NASCAR legend said in a press conference at Charlotte Motor Speedway:

"I would say so. Trying to put a value on drivers is challenging because you're looking at the business model of things. Then you are also looking at where he ranks out there, (I mean) his statistics, we put him up there with the top drivers. The expectations are (for) him to be taken care of like a top driver," Jeff Gordon said via Cup Scene on YouTube. [4:25 onwards]

"It's always about timing, in my opinion, timing for the team, timing for the driver. Never hurts coming off of being in the Top 4 in Phoenix, as well as winning your second Daytona 500 race. We were going to make it happen one way or the other," he added.

William Byron made his Cup Series debut in 2018 and secured his first victory in 2020. Since teaming up with crew chief Rudy Fugle in 2021, Byron has collected 12 wins in the next-gen era, second to teammate Kyle Larson (16). The duo has emerged as consistent frontrunners for Hendrick Motorsports in recent seasons.

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Jeff Gordon reveals the reason behind not attempting the Memorial Day Double

Jeff Gordon will be a part of Kyle Larson's entourage for the Memorial Day Double on May 25. Gordon admitted that it's the closest he has come to experiencing the Double himself and revealed the reason behind not attempting the feat.

The four-time champion said that during his career, he was laser-focused on one race and wasn't great at adapting to different cars in a short time. Gordon admitted that there aren't many drivers like Kyle Larson, who can jump from one car to another and contend for victories, though.

"This is the closest I’ve come to this experience and what it is like, and maybe what it could have, would have been like had I attempted it. But I just don’t think there are many Kyle Larsons.

"I was always the type of driver where I was very laser-focused on one team, one car, one kind of goal." the Hendrick Motorsports legend said. [10:20 onwards]

Jeff Gordon revealed that the closest he came to entering the Indy 500 was during the 100th running of the event in 2016, one year after his retirement. He made a brief return to the Cup Series, substituting for Dale Earnhardt Jr., in the second half of the season.