In NASCAR’s high-speed, adrenaline-pumping world, the 2023 season has been a whirlwind for Hendrick Motorsports. With their drivers consistently occupying the top spots on NASCAR’s Cup standings, there’s still a struggle to meet expectations in the final races.
HMS star driver unveils the critical need for lateral grip to break free from their current slump. A transparent interview with Fox Sports sheds light on the team’s struggles, revealing their relentless pursuit of success. With the upcoming tire test, they eagerly embrace the opportunity to explore new possibilities and conquer the tracks with renewed vigor.

Lateral grip quest: A make-or-break facet for Hendrick Motorsports

At the start of the season, Hendrick Motorsports #48 Alex Bowman led the team with good points. However, an unfortunate Sprint Car injury caused him to slip down the rankings. Later, William Byron took the reins and ascended to point leader in true champion fashion. Yet his reign faced a momentary challenge when Martin Truex Jr.’s #19 car surged ahead with a dominant win at New Hampshire.

During an interview with Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports, the Hendrick Motorsports star driver, known for his fearless driving and remarkable talent, disclosed that the car was “loose in traffic,” leading to a desperate search for improvements to regain their competitive edge.

When asked about the upcoming tire test and whether they will have a fast test for additional changes, William Byron stated, “Yeah, I think they’ll try some other stuff. I think that the tire could help too. We’re, you know, I feel like we just need more lateral to be able to, you know, make passes and set people up and, you know, get runs off the corner. So I feel like we’re all pretty limited on lateral, especially when we went to this package today.

It just makes it hard to hustle a car and get beside somebody, so Yeah, we want fall off. We want the tires to fall off but have some lateral to start the run. And it doesn’t seem like we’re able to start the run with much grip and reserve so that you can maybe save or do some different things, back off your pace and then advance at the end of the run”, he further added.

During the test run, the No. 24 Chevy and his team encountered a myriad of challenges. Sliding around the track all day long, the loose grip was a constant struggle for the young driver. Initial changes to the car brought a semblance of hope with similar grip levels to the previous day. Still, as the sun blazed above and the track temperatures soared, the grip diminished, causing everyone to suffer in traffic.

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William Byron, never one to back down from a challenge, shared his insights into potential improvements.

Chasing perfection: William Byron’s insights on improving performance

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Byron’s suggestions included experimenting with different spoilers and exploring the possibilities of softer tires during the next test on Tuesday. The team believes that more lateral grip is essential to enable smoother passes, set up rivals, and gain momentum off the corners. With the current package, hustling the car to get alongside another has become a formidable task, forcing the drivers to explore alternative approaches to improve their performance.

After securing the 1st position at Richmond qualifying, the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion faced issues during the main event and ended up finishing P27.

After qualifying at Richmond, in an interview with Motorsports.com, Byron stated, “It will be slick. Richmond is always that way. I noticed they painted the front stretch—they put lines on the front stretch, so I don’t know if that’ll play into running the lower line down the straightaway for grip. But yeah, it’s just going to be about tire management.”

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Despite facing challenges, the willpower of William Byron and Hendrick Motorsports as a team remains unshaken. They are determined to break out of their slump and return to the forefront of the racing world. Byron’s perseverance to thrive and the team’s unwavering commitment to perfection promise an exciting battle ahead.