Story By: ASHLY ENNIS / HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS – CONCORD, NC – Starting 10th Sunday, William Byron overcame early adversity at Kansas Speedway to race his way back inside the top-10 running order by the final stage.
Continuing his forward momentum, Byron piloted his No. 24 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE to just outside the top five before ultimately crossing the finish line in eighth – his third consecutive top-10 finish.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY: After his eighth-place finish at Kansas Speedway, Byron has now notched 13 top-10 finishes in the 2020 Cup Series season – tying the same amount he secured in 2019. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has now scored three consecutive top-10s, tying his longest career streak. In fact, the driver of the No. 24 has six top-10 finishes in the last nine races – tied for second with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott and behind teammate Alex Bowman with seven.
TRUCKIN’ IT IN TEXAS: Byron’s success at Texas Motor Speedway started over three years ago in his first start at the 1.5-mile oval. Starting from the sixth position, the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series rookie led six laps before capturing the checkered flag and becoming the youngest to ever win a Truck Series race at Texas.
TEXAS TOUGH: Statistically, Texas Motor Speedway has been one of Byron’s best tracks throughout his NASCAR career. Despite an on-track incident in this year’s July race, he has an average finish of 17.2 in his five Cup Series starts in the Lone Star State. Byron has four other starts at the 1.5-mile oval with an average finish of 3.5 in two Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series starts and 8.0 in two NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
KNAUS HAS ‘NO LIMITS’: This weekend, crew chief Chad Knaus will call his 36th Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway from atop the pit box. In his 35 previous races, Knaus has won seven times at the ‘No Limits’ track, with the most recent win coming in April 2017 with Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team. In his career, Knaus’ seven wins at Texas Motor Speedway are the fourth-most victories for the veteran crew chief behind Dover International Speedway (11), Martinsville Speedway (nine) and Charlotte Motor Speedway (eight).
LIBERTY U IS BACK: For this weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, Liberty University will be on board Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Sunday’s race. Liberty University is in its sixth season of sponsoring the 22-year-old driver dating back to his time in the late model ranks. Liberty 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 communications, Byron is in his junior year at Liberty University through its online program.