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| William Byron won a 2016 Truck Series race at Pocono. |
"We had a really good car at Pocono Raceway earlier this year and I felt like we were really close. We just didn’t have the winning strategy, we went more for the stage points last race. I think this time, going back, we’ll be able to control our race a little bit differently. I was honestly a couple moves away from getting a better finish last time so I’m really optimistic for this weekend. Hopefully we can build off what we did there in June."
Byron on tricky turns at the "Tricky Triangle":
"Turn two isn’t as big of a deal as it was before now with this package. I would say you still have to get off turn three really well. That’s kind of the name of the game there. But when we went there with this package in June, turn one was the biggest importance in making sure the splitter was right through there and you could get through the bumps well. That’s probably the biggest difference now than in the past - figuring out turn one."
PLAYOFF HUNT CONTINUES: With another solid race under his belt, William Byron once again gained points toward his mission of locking into the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. After New Hampshire, the driver of the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is now 61 points above the cutoff in 12th place, the best position of his Cup career so far. In fact, over the last eight races, he has gained 76 points on the bubble spot.
TIED FOR SECOND: Byron is one of three Cup Series drivers who have finished second in a race in 2019 but have yet to capture the checkered flag. He is also ranked third among the Cup field for most laps led (180) without a win.
PREVIEWING POCONO: In advance of his fourth Cup Series start at Pocono Raceway, Byron is optimistic for what the weekend will hold. Earlier this year, he collected his second pole award of the season at the “Tricky Triangle” before going on to lead 25 laps and earning a ninth-place finish. After three-career starts, Byron is ranked seventh for the best average finish all-time (11.0) at the 2.5-mile speedway. With two top-10 finishes, Pocono is statistically one of his best tracks in the Cup Series. He also has a NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series victory at Pocono, that he won in 2016 after leading 44 of 60 laps.
LIBERTY U RETURNS: For back-to-back weekends, Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet will sport the Liberty University colors. Returning as a primary sponsor of the No. 24 team in 2019 for 12 races, Liberty University has a long history with the driver starting back in 2014 in the late model ranks and is in the midst of its fifth season of sponsoring the 21-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native. Liberty University has been Training Champions for Christ since it was founded in 1971. Located in the mountains of Central Virginia, Liberty is a liberal arts institution with 17 colleges and schools that offers more than 600 degree programs from the certificate to the doctoral level, on campus and online. Working on an undergraduate degree in business communication, Byron is now in his junior year at Liberty University through its online program.
NO TRICKING KNAUS: Making his 37th start as a Cup Series crew chief at the “Tricky Triangle,” Chad Knaus leads active Hendrick Motorsports’ crew chiefs in best finishes at Pocono Raceway. With three wins at the 2.5-mile triangular track with driver Jimmie Johnson, the crew chief swept both races in 2004 and then captured the win again from the pole in the spring of 2013. Earlier this season, the seven-time champion crew chief called the shots for Byron during their first trip together to Pocono Raceway, collecting their second pole award of the season, leading 25 laps and scoring a ninth-place finish.
NEW HAMPSHIRE NOTES: Last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Byron was forced to start at the tail end of the field due to utilizing a backup car from an incident in practice. He fought his way through the field and found himself vying for a top-10 finish in the last half of the race. After experiencing handling issues, the driver of the No. 24 closed out the race with a personal-best finish of 12th at the track and representing the highest-finishing Chevy.
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