NOTHING REGULAR ABOUT IT: With five races left in the regular season, William Byron is second in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, just 30 points behind leader Martin Truex Jr. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native is looking for his first regular-season Cup championship and the extra 15 playoff points that come with it. Byron leads the series in wins (four), laps led (810), laps run inside the top five (2,682) and stage wins (seven). After just 21 of 36 points-paying races in 2023, his 810 laps led are already a personal full-season record. In addition, the 25-year-old driver is tied for second in both top-five finishes (eight) and top-10s (11) and has run the second-most laps inside the top 10 (3,516).
SHORT-TRACK SUCCESS: Byron is carrying momentum into Richmond Raceway, the third short-track race of 2023. Since the start of 2022, he ranks fifth in points scored on short-track layouts. He also has three top-five finishes, which tie him for fourth among drivers in the same time period. In fact, Byron has led more than 100 laps in three of the last seven short-track events.
RICHMOND READY: Sunday’s race will mark Byron’s 11th Richmond start in the Cup Series. His personal-best finish of third at the 0.75-mile oval occurred in April 2022 after starting on the front row and leading 122 laps. However, Byron came close to picking up a Richmond victory earlier this season after winning stage one and leading 117 laps before he was involved in an incident that left him with a 24th-place result. In the last three races there, he has run 648 laps in the top five and has led 239 laps – both the highest of any driver in that span.
RUDY AT RICHMOND: No. 24 team crew chief Rudy Fugle has seven combined NASCAR national series starts at Richmond Raceway: four in the Cup Series, two in the Xfinity Series and one in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. In April 2022, Byron and the No. 24 team had a track-best weekend at Richmond, qualifying second, leading 122 laps and ultimately finishing third in the Cup event after being passed for the win with four laps to go.
PIT ROAD PROWESS: After 21 races in 2023, the No. 24 pit crew is the best in the Cup Series with an average four-tire pit stop time of 11.013 seconds. The No. 24 pit crew consists of Spencer Bishop (jackman), Landon Walker (fueler), Ryan Patton (tire carrier), Jeff Cordero (front-tire changer) and Orane Ossowski (rear-tire changer). The team boasts three of the 10 fastest stops in the series this season, which rank sixth (9.383 seconds), eighth (9.443) and ninth (9.504).
LIBERTY U IS BACK: On Sunday at Richmond, Byron will sport his Liberty University paint scheme. Featuring a white base with navy flames and red accents, the Liberty University No. 24 will be sure to stand out on track. Liberty University has a long history with Byron starting back in 2014 in the late model ranks. 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 strategic communication, Byron is now in his junior year at Liberty University through its online program. For a better look at Byron’s new Liberty University paint scheme, click here.
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Richmond Raceway: "I’m excited to get back to Richmond this weekend. We ran well there in the spring and didn’t get the result we deserved. Hopefully we can redeem that this weekend. It’s going to be a hot one, though, and that’s going to play a factor. Not only from how the car handles and grip levels but also from a heat inside the car aspect. The heat will probably be the biggest thing that all of us will have to manage throughout the weekend."
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what differences there are from the spring to the summer race at Richmond: "We were pretty good at Richmond earlier this year, but this race will be vastly different. It's going to be really hot and a day race. The biggest thing is that the balance is going to change. It will be looser off the corners and tighter in the middle. You’re going to have to get the grip to improve and try to get your car to do better things at slower speeds. It's still a short track, and it's still worn out. The basics should all still be the same. You’re just going to want to add some more grip, especially when you’ll be going about a half-second slower compared to the spring. So that’s what we will focus on."
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