CLASH-ED AT THE COLISEUM: Heading to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the second time in the NASCAR Cup Series, William Byron and the No. 24 team got to work early at the quarter-mile track. He led all 25 circuits of the fourth heat race to line up fourth for the 150-lap main event. Spending much of the Clash at the Coliseum running in the top 10, Byron ultimately crossed the finish line in the 10th position.
DAYTONA DUELS: Byron will make his sixth start in the Daytona Duels on Thursday. In last year’s qualifying race, he lined up on the outside row for his duel race but with a split pit strategy taking place late in the event, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native finished in the 12th position. In 2020, Byron captured the win in the qualifying race when led the final three laps to take the checkered flag.
TWENTY-FOUR TO THE FRONT: In five of the last eight DAYTONA 500 races, the No. 24 has started from the front row. In 2015, Jeff Gordon started from the pole and Chase Elliott did the same in 2016 and 2017. Byron added to that stat by becoming the second-youngest DAYTONA 500 pole winner in 2019, which also marked his first pole in the Cup Series. He was part of a Hendrick Motorsports sweep of the front row in 2021 as he started second, while Alex Bowman was on the pole.
BACK AT THE BEACH: During his time in the Cup Series, Byron has 10 starts at Daytona International Speedway. In that time, he has collected one win, two top-five finishes, two top-10s, and led 94 laps. However, his stats don’t fully depict Byron’s success at the 2.5-mile oval. Not only is this the venue where he earned his first Cup Series win, but he also was in position to capture the win during the summer race in 2019 before weather ended the event early, resulting in a runner-up finish for the driver of the No. 24. Byron’s success at Daytona doesn’t end there. During his 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship campaign, he led 29 laps en route to the victory, becoming the youngest driver with a Xfinity Series win at Daytona at 19 years, seven months and one day.
SUPER ON SUPERSPEEDWAYS: While superspeedway racing brings a lot of uncertainty, Byron has seen success with that style of racing. In the past 10 superspeedway races, Byron has three top-five finishes including his first Cup Series win at Daytona in the summer of 2020. He also led 193 laps at drafting tracks (Daytona, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway) during the 2022 season – the most of any driver.
FUGLE FILES: Entering his third season as a Cup Series crew chief, Rudy Fugle will climb on top of the No. 24 pit box for his third DAYTONA 500, and his fifth Cup Series start at the 2.5-mile oval this Sunday. In 2021, the duo started both races at the Florida-based track from the front row. Despite running up front in every Daytona event they’ve raced at together in the Cup Series, misfortune has struck the No. 24 as they have been collected in on-track incidents before the checkered flag. Aside from those four Cup starts, the Livonia, New York, native has nine other starts at Daytona, with seven coming in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Fugle has one runner-up result and two top-10 finishes across those seven races. Of those Truck Series starts, one of them was with Byron where the duo qualified and finished 13th.
RAPTOR® TOUGH: RAPTOR® Tough and Tintable Protective Coatings will return in 2023 as the primary sponsor of William Byron and the No. 24 team. RAPTOR® is a durable protective coating that is designed to tolerate the toughest climatic conditions and can be applied to a wide range of items, including truck beds, lawnmowers, outdoor furniture and more. With 16 pre-mixed colors available, it’s easy to personalize anything you want to protect. RAPTOR® is available at local paint distributors, auto parts stores, and online retailers. For a better look at Byron’s No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, click here.
RETURNING TO THE ROOTS: Prior to NASCAR festivities getting started at Daytona International Speedway, Byron was victorious at New Smyrna Speedway. Driving the No. 24 Super Late Model for Wilson Motorsports, he scored the win in Monday night's World Series of Asphalt race and will also compete in Tuesday's Super Late Model event at the track. Monday's win marks Byron's third victory in four starts in the event after posting two wins last year as well.
BEACH BUMS: Kicking off Speedweeks in the "Sunshine State," two crew members on the No. 24 team will be making their way back home for the first points-paying race of the 2023 season. Engineer Brandon McSwain grew up approximately 100 miles from the “World Center of Racing” in Auburndale, Florida. While just a few miles down the road from where McSwain grew up, engine tuner Ben Proctor calls Lakeland, Florida, home.
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his thoughts for this year's DAYTONA 500: "I think we have some good momentum from the Clash that can get us excited for Daytona (International Speedway). While nothing correlates between those two tracks, we executed just about everything we needed to as a team. Now we’re going to a place where Hendrick Motorsports is known for having fast cars and being up front. I’ve been lucky enough to be contending for the lead in the DAYTONA 500, and I have the summer Daytona win under my belt. I just haven’t been able to avoid the misfortune in the 500 to be there at the end. I think if we can keep the car clean all race Sunday, we definitely will have a shot at the win and I want that for this No. 24 team."
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the No. 24 team’s goals for the 2023 season: "Keep climbing and stay hungry. If you’re looking behind you, people are trying to catch you and you’re looking the wrong way. We’re focused on continuing to climb forward and make that championship race. That’s our big goal for 2023 and what we’re striving for. William (Byron) has grown a lot and has experienced a lot. He’s ready to reach that point. This team is ready for it. We’re ready to tackle this season. We’ve learned a lot with these cars and we know that things will ebb and flow like they did last year with other teams learning things along the way. We just want to make sure to hit those high points at the right time in the year."
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