It’s not always easy to cope with the pressure and perform when you are given the car of one of the greatest drivers of all time, yet William Byron has taken to the role better than perhaps he had dreamed. Taking on Jeff Gordon‘s #24 is a massive role. After all, he is the second-most successful driver in the history of Hendrick Motorsports. In a recent interview, the current driver of the car spoke about the comparisons and Gordon’s role in making him feel as comfortable as possible.

William Byron hails Jeff Gordon for making things more comfortable

It’s important to note that Jeff Gordon is quite a nurturing figure in the world of motorsports. As the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, looking after the drivers is one of his many responsibilities. It would not be surprising if he had a soft spot for William Byron. After all, he is the successor.

At 26, he isn’t only the youngest racer in the team but also the most prolific in the Cup Series. Speaking about his legacy with the #24, Byron believes that he has made the number his own.

“We’re already working towards it. I was put into Jeff’s car and that was a lot of pressure and we had to just make it our own so I feel like Jeff is a great mentor and great asset for our team and we use him a lot in different ways and talking off the track but he’s made it known when I got in the car that it’s my own and we kind of built the team that way with the people and all that we have on our team. I think get that question a lot but it’s just about trying to focus on what we can do and hopefully the fans like that and it seems like we have gotten a lot of support lately so hopefully the old #24 fans can kind of adapt and grow with us,” he said ahead of the Cup Series race at Texas.

Jeff Gordon and William Byron’s similarities do not just end at their car number. As per a former NASCAR Cup Series driver, the two drivers have a similar driving style, which kind of makes the 26-year-old a perfect successor to the #24.

Former Cup Series star outlines similarities between the #24 drivers 

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It’s quite difficult to replicate greatness but on that rare moment it happens, it’s poetic and beautiful. If Kyle Petty’s words are to be believed, that’s what the #24 team is probably heading towards. Petty believes that William Byron’s driving style is a lot like Jeff Gordon’s. His drive to get better each week, even if he is winning races, is something the 4-time Cup Series champion had and that’s good news for Hendrick Motorsports.

“He’s [Byron] really insightful into where the team is and I think that shows that William Byron is a Jeff Gordon-style driver. William Byron is a guy that drives the car and then says ‘I think we can move the ball forward if we change this and we work this and we do this’ that’s the way Jeff Gordon was. He speaks like Jeff Gordon. He talks about the team, he talks about the sport, he talks about what they can do the little things stuff like that. He doesn’t give you these BS answers a lot of times, he may get to that point but he’s not there right now,” Petty said as per Yardbarker.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for William Byron. He will certainly be a Cup Series champion one day but the question is how many times will he win the championship?