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Atlanta defending winner William Byron returns to the same track where he clinched his first win of the 2022 season this weekend. The newly repaved Atlanta Motor Speedway will mark NASCAR’s first repeat track since it raced there earlier this year on March 20, 2022.
Following a wild finish during the hectic Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, William Byron will return to the track as one of the top drivers with the best odds to win the race. Though he is not the favorite to win the race, he’s in the top five in the odds table.
Speaking to media about the return to Atlanta, the No.24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 driver said:
“We know that this race is going to be its own beast and there’s going to be a lot that happens, and just try to mentally and physically prepare for that. Make sure that you’re studying the things that happened in the last race here because I do think it will be a really similar race.”
Atlanta was kind to him during the Folds of Honor 500, and he’s thrilled to race there this weekend. In a media interaction ahead of the Quaker State 400, Byron cited that he was fully prepared for the event and the only preparation left was the qualifying race. His crew chief recently stated that they were working on handling their #24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to keep up with the track conditions.
William Byron's performance during the 2022 Folds of Honor 500
Being a defending winner, William Byron will work extra hard to ensure the win remains at Hendrick Motorsports. Securing a good starting position will be one of the best steps to winning the race. In the last event, he came from P12 and went on to win the first stage.
The second stage was more challenging as Ryan Blaney collected the win. Byron was among the fastest drivers and led a few laps before taking control of the race in Stage 3. He took the lead with 58 laps to go, and despite several cautions and pressure from Bubba Wallace Jr., who was struggling to take the lead, Byron still managed to take the win.
After claiming the Atlanta win, he went on to clinch the Martinsville Trophy, becoming one of the few drivers with two wins this season. However, since then, his performance has dropped, and the best he has scored is P9 at Sonoma. Hitting one of his favorite tracks this season, Byron might be the first driver this season to hit three wins.
