“We’re not pleased with running 5th”: William Byron sets the tone to achieve ‘peak’ performance despite being a ‘well-oiled’ team

William Byron recently opened up about his honest thoughts on the No. 24 Chevrolet team's performance so far this current season. With just one win and seven top-five finishes, the two-time Daytona 500 winner sits at the top of the points table. However, the Hendrick Motorsports driver is relentless in having more speed than his fellow drivers.

Byron has been one of the top-performing NASCAR Cup Series drivers through the first half of the 2025 regular season. Despite such a strong showing, the 27-year-old hopes to become the "best team" on the field and wants to keep a high standard for the Chevrolet roster.

In a conversation with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, William Byron discussed how the adversaries they face are unseen by others, as they consistently achieve strong results week in and out. He said:

"I think we're just a really good, well-oiled team right now. I mean, we just have, we're really solid across all fronts. We don't make a lot of mistakes and probably to the, to the outside, we'd look like, 'Oh, they make no mistakes,' but we have things happen. You know, there's adversity that hits us all the time."

"We'd like to have a little bit more speed for sure. I mean, we're even going to Michigan. We're doing some things that we feel like are, are going to be better for our car on the long run, just some set up things and, and feel like, you know, we just continue to refine," added William Byron.

As NASCAR enters the Michigan weekend, Rick Hendrick's star NASCAR driver, Byron, looked back on his previous two races, where he managed a fifth-place finish (Nashville) and runner-up finish (Charlotte).

"And, you know, we're not pleased with running fifth. Like we want to, we're not pleased with the (Coca-Cola)600, like finished in second. We want to just continue to work and be the best team. And hopefully, hopefully this year we start to peak as the year goes on and, and really find that, that dominant speed."

As William Byron continues to show his dominant run in NASCAR's premier division, weeks ago, HMS announced the No. 24 driver's contract extension.

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What William Byron said on his contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports

NASCAR: William Byron and Rick Hendrick - Cup Qualifying - Source: Imagn

In his eight full-time seasons with Hendrick Motorsports, William Byron has found a lot of success and several victory lane celebrations in the Next-Gen. With two former NASCAR champions, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, on his team, Byron has certainly made a name for himself by becoming a top contender to lift the coveted title.

As William Byron solidifies his deal with Rick Hendrick and Co. until 2029, he claims he is relieved after the deal and said:

"I definitely wanted to be here, and really for me, just want to focus on winning races. That’s what it's all about at Hendrick Motorsports, and that's what I personally enjoy and want to be here to do. So, for me personally, I try to just kind of keep my head down this year and focus. I’m just really happy that it's done… it's a bit of a relief, I guess you could say, just to be able to focus on what we're doing here." (via speedway digest)

With the 670 laps led and 11 playoff points under his name, William Byron is being chased by his teammate, No. 5 Larson, for the top spot. The 2021 NASCAR champion is 48 points below Byron after winning three races in 14 starts.

HMS drivers and NASCAR will be back in action for the Firekeepers Casino 400 race at Michigan International Speedway on June 8, 2:00 p.m. ET.