For weeks, William Byron’s name had been simmering just beneath the surface of NASCAR’s biggest storylines. Then came Iowa Speedway, and suddenly it was everywhere. After 21 races without a win since the season opener at Daytona, William delivered a performance that felt less like a comeback and more like a declaration. His No. 24 Chevrolet wasn’t simply quick; it commanded the race when it mattered.

It turned a summer Sunday in Newton into the moment everyone in the Cup Series was talking about. Iowa wasn’t just a checkered flag; it was the product of weeks of pressure finally breaking in Byron’s favor. And the win has only motivated Byron; his team has described the run-up at the oval as an all-out sprint—every setup change, every daily review, and every late-night adjustment aimed at erasing the sting of missed chances. That relentless push? Yup, it created a machine and a mindset capable of going the distance.

William Byron’s team nails fuel strategy to avoid yet another Indy/Michigan mishap

William Byron brought serious pace at Iowa Speedway, clocking a blistering lap of 23.088 seconds in qualifying, good enough for a second-place starting position just behind Chase Briscoe’s pole-winning run. Positioned on the front row, it was an ideal platform for Byron to capitalize on both speed and strategy. And on race day, his No. 24 Chevrolet delivered on that promise.

Byron led a race-high 141 of the 350 laps, and his crew chief, Rudy Fugle, orchestrated a masterful fuel mileage strategy that paid off. Suddenly, a flurry of seven cautions during the final stage enabled Byron to stretch his fuel to an astonishing 144 laps, well beyond the typical fuel window. That savvy execution, paired with his consistent speed, enabled him to hold off challenges and take the checkered flag.

And his No. 24 team engineers didn’t hold back while reaching that stressful yet redemptive win. Hendrick Motorsports shared its insight on the official page. They said, “Those last 50 laps were super stressful for both of us, I felt like, you know, and I know for me, and I’m sure for you, it was just like more and more relief, as you kind of can see, knowing we were going to make it and not relive, you know, in Indy or Michigan and have to relive that pain. I think I finally looked up with five to go and realized, oh, we’ve only got five left, the reaction might just happen.”

At Michigan International Speedway during the FireKeepers Casino 400, William Byron again showcased brilliance, leading 98 of 200 laps, winning a stage, and setting the race’s fastest lap. But as fate would have it, fuel miscalculation spoiled the party. Despite valiantly defending the lead and managing fuel on the long straights and exits, the No. 24 team ran dry just over 2 miles shy of the finish. Byron was forced to put under green, ultimately finishing 28th, a brutal blow after such a dominant performance.

And then came Byron’s recent outing at the Brickyard 400. The race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a tough pill to swallow. Despite running competitively and beginning to contend within the top group, he was ultimately unable to convert speed into success. The race went into overtime, and when Bubba Wallace claimed the win, Byron slipped back, ending 16th on the results sheet. The heartbreak of another strong performance undone by circumstance mirrored frustrations he had experienced from previous races.

There is no doubt that those two races still linger in the garage, fueling the fire within Byron and his team. And now, Byron has his sights on something bigger.

William Byron warns contenders with his strong Championship 4 spot

Before his victory last Sunday at Iowa Speedway, William Byron had been enduring a 21-race winless stretch in the Cup Series. His most recent triumph before that came at the season-opening Daytona 500. While the results may have suggested a slump, the Hendrick Motorsport driver maintained that he and his team were still in a strong position heading into the latter part of the season.

In a conversation with Shannon Spake on NASCAR’s The Day After, Byron reflected on the current mindset inside the No. 24 camp. Acknowledging that their race execution had faulted at times, he emphasized that one thing had never been lacking: speed. Regardless of setbacks, the performance of his HMS Chevrolet remained a constant advantage.

He said, “I think we’re better than we’ve ever been. I mean, honestly, I feel more speed in the race car. I feel more aware of what it takes, and I feel like our team as a group is just more experienced, and we’re just bringing faster cars. The execution piece has not really been in our control lately. We’ve been in some crashes that weren’t our making. But we continue to bring speed. So yeah, to win this late in the summer like this, is a really good sign for our team. I just feel like when our backs are up against any sort of wall, like when we kind of lost quite a few points and dropped down to second, we come back the next week and are stronger.”

Looking ahead, Byron expressed confidence that his team could once again make it to the Championship 4, as they had in the past two seasons. He stressed that the focus now was on putting all the pieces together for another deep playoff run. However, he admitted that the biggest challenge in securing the title might come from another driver within the Hendrick Motorsports stable.