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Hendrick Motorsports William Byron has had the most impressive campaign so far in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. He has led the series with six wins and enters the season finale Phoenix race for the first time in his six-year Cup career.
Speaking to the media ahead of the final race, Byron said that winning a Cup Series championship would be an accomplishment for him. He feels like a new life and has nothing to lose for his #24 HMS team, after making it into the final 4.
"For us to win a championship would be just icing on the cake. You got a 1 in 4 chance. Now, we have a new life for our team. This is what our goal was, to make the Championship 4. I think any team would say that. Now, we feel like, I mean, we have nothing to lose," Byron said on Thursday at Championship 4 Media Day.
Despite the pressure to win the first-ever championship, Byron goes into the final race, believing the hardest part is over. He continued:
"We were (nervous), no doubt. We put together such a good year. To make it all the way to Martinsville and feel like your chances are slipping away was definitely kind of demoralizing, depressing. If we hadn’t made it, I think it would have been a lot of disappointment. I think that’s where the pressure came from."
William Byron made his final four spot with the help of six wins (including one playoff win), 14 top-5s, 20 top-10s, and 4 poles. He would like to win the prestigious title in his first appearance in the Championship. If he does so, he will be the youngest NASCAR Cup Series champion.
"I want to get a first championship" - William Byron
The #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver is looking to get full use of his first opportunity to add himself to the list of drivers who have beaten other drivers in NASCAR’s top-level series.
Byron, the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, said:
"I think these are opportunities you get that you look forward to. Man, I want to get a first championship. That would be awesome. I want to do that. I’m looking at what I did in Xfinity when I raced in the final four, kind of dug deep and found something to win that one. I’ll be excited."
Catch William Byron at Phoenix Raceway for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race on Sunday, November 5, 2023.
