“Eats You Alive”: William Byron Gets Real About the Pressure of Being a Race Car Driver

“My biggest regret in racing is not enjoying it.” 7-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner Jamie McMurray made this confession a few weeks ago. In a career spanning almost two decades, McMurray had many achievements. From winning just his second NASCAR race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 2002 to winning the Daytona 500 in 2010, McMurray had a lot under his belt. But in his post-racing career as a broadcaster, however, he regretted not having fun – and William Byron agrees.

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series postseason starts at Darlington Raceway this weekend. William Byron is fresh off a glamorous win of the regular season championship, having fended off his Hendrick Motorsports teammates. But even as he aims for the more glitzy goal of the Cup championship, Byron reflects on the invisible challenges behind his glamor.

William Byron draws up a wishlist

Being a NASCAR driver is not easy. Pushing through 36 weekends of non-stop racing in a season and needing to be in winning form every week is not a mean feat. Not to mention the intense physical demands that NASCAR races impose on you – from heavy G-force impact to interminably long races. Then, appearing for interviews, fan events, and podcasts with the spotlight constantly on your energy, enthusiasm, and words. Quite a tough ordeal, right? However, a few supermen in the sport get it done daily. And one of them is William Byron. The ever-serious and articulate HMS star is razor sharp on or off the track. But sometimes, he wants to loosen his stiff shoulders.

That is what the 15-time Cup Series race winner revealed to Kevin Harvick recently. William Byron painted a grim picture of his racing reality: “I think you get way too serious about what you’re doing. And I think life is bigger than just Sunday’s racing. You have to have a life outside of what this is, or else the pressure eats you alive.” As Byron started his motorsports journey from a young age, he forgot to savor his experiences often. He continued, “The success comes from really enjoying, I think…When I say fun, it’s not like all fun, right? It’s relative. I enjoy what I do, Sundays are fun… I think that, thrown into a lot of pressure at a young age, I didn’t really realize it. It kind of eats you alive… It’s a constant evolution, it’s tough.”

After revealing the challenges to the glamor, William Byron also drew up a wishlist. This list pertains to things he would have focused more on at a younger age. He said, “I think I would figure out, first and foremost, the people I work best with on my race team. If you got the people that are the most like-minded with you and you really get the most out of. I would look at a lot less social media… It is (hard). All your buddies (there). It’s just the way the world is now. Being 20-21 years old, I would just walk all that out. I would spend way more time with friends…I would take one step at a time and enjoy what I’m doing, however that is.” 

Indeed, life shines the brightest when you love how you are living it. As William Byron comes to grips with his racing lifestyle, he also expects good things from the playoffs.

Leaving a trail of optimism 

Granted, William Byron’s regular season has not been perfect. He had a lot of heartbreaking misses, like in Michigan, where he led half the race before running out of fuel and finishing 28th. Additionally, in eight of 26 starts, he placed outside the top 20, besides facing 3 DNFs. But at the same time, his winning moments are even more dazzling. The No. 24 Chevrolet driver clinched two wins at Daytona and Iowa, and showed consistency with nine top-five finishes and 13 top-10s. What is more, he grabbed his regular-season crown one race before the season ended, as his closest contender, Chase Elliott, got swept up in a Daytona crash, which Byron expected.

The overall mix of fortunes led William Byron to comment optimistically on his chances. He said, “This year has been the most balanced we’ve ever been. Speed at all the tracks, just more consistent qualifying, more consistent race adjustments, like consistency throughout the race. I don’t know, I feel like maybe we’ve been a touch off on speed compared to the field, but I feel like our consistency has been better.” However, he also added the jarring truth – that he needs to win in the final round. Aiming for that elusive championship, Byron said, “But when you get to the final round, it’s all about winning that race. There’s not much consolation.” 

Clearly, William Byron is evaluating his career in all respects. Hopefully, we will see positive results soon in the playoffs.