By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Each week, Kickin’ The Tires will highlight the 20th-place finisher from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Standing as the middleman in weekends with 40-car fields, there is sure to be a story behind each one.
A top-20 finish is simply a decent day at Martinsville Speedway. For a rookie, it’s a small step up beyond that.
William Byron entered the Virginia short track with a little momentum in his pocket, scoring back-to-back top 15s along with leading laps in both races at ISM Raceway and Auto Club. Perhaps this momentum was best used in preparation for his first short track race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
“My best friends and people that have always been around me know how much I love a challenge,” Byron said. “I think the reason I love the Cup Series so much, so far, is because it’s such a challenge.”
With Hendrick Motorsports in arguably their toughest position yet in terms of competition, Byron has attacked this challenge and has stayed fairly consistent behind the wheel of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. He entered Monday’s STP 500 20th in points and had three top 20s in the first five races.
That top-20 stat jumped to four as the 20-year-old finished 20th in the 500-lapper at Martinsville. Through the quiet day for the North Carolina native, he was a basic mid-pack contender, finishing right where he started after qualifying was rained out Saturday.
“I’ve been learning how to be with a new race team, learning the ins and outs,” he said. “I feel like in previous years, my talent and my ability in the car could overcome whatever was new with the race team. In the Cup Series, no matter how good or how talented you are, you’ve got to have the communication, the notebook and the experience to look back on to say, ‘This is what the car needs to do and this is how the car needs to respond.’
“That’s ultimately the difference-maker between running in the top 10 and running 20th.”
Heading into the first off-weekend of 2018, Byron is looking forward to the time off to soak up the mass of information the past six weeks. A 20th isn’t what gets Byron of the team in a good mood, however, it capped off the first block of 2018 with a level of crucial stability.
“I’m definitely looking forward to the off-weekend,” he said. “I say that because I think that, even though you might not be worn out, there’s so much information that I’ve learned in the last five or six weeks that I really haven’t had a chance to process completely.”
Following the Easter break, Byron will enter Texas Motor Speedway, where he won in 2016 in the Camping World Truck Series.
“I think the off-week will be a really good chance for me to diagnose and debrief with my own mind and really take everything in that I’ve learned,” he said. “Then, we’ll keep pushing forward in Texas.”
List of 20th-Place Finishers So Far in 2018
Daytona: Gray Gaulding
Atlanta: Alex Bowman
Las Vegas: Trevor Bayne
ISM: Trevor Bayne (2)
Auto Club: Darrell Wallace Jr.
Martinsville: William Byron
Mid-Pack With Zach: Martinsville
By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Each week, Kickin’ The Tires will highlight the 20th-place finisher from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Standing as the middleman in weekends with 40-car fields, there is sure to be a story behind each one.
A top-20 finish is simply a decent day at Martinsville Speedway. For a rookie, it’s a small step up beyond that.
William Byron entered the Virginia short track with a little momentum in his pocket, scoring back-to-back top 15s along with leading laps in both races at ISM Raceway and Auto Club. Perhaps this momentum was best used in preparation for his first short track race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
“My best friends and people that have always been around me know how much I love a challenge,” Byron said. “I think the reason I love the Cup Series so much, so far, is because it’s such a challenge.”
With Hendrick Motorsports in arguably their toughest position yet in terms of competition, Byron has attacked this challenge and has stayed fairly consistent behind the wheel of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. He entered Monday’s STP 500 20th in points and had three top 20s in the first five races.
That top-20 stat jumped to four as the 20-year-old finished 20th in the 500-lapper at Martinsville. Through the quiet day for the North Carolina native, he was a basic mid-pack contender, finishing right where he started after qualifying was rained out Saturday.
“I’ve been learning how to be with a new race team, learning the ins and outs,” he said. “I feel like in previous years, my talent and my ability in the car could overcome whatever was new with the race team. In the Cup Series, no matter how good or how talented you are, you’ve got to have the communication, the notebook and the experience to look back on to say, ‘This is what the car needs to do and this is how the car needs to respond.’
“That’s ultimately the difference-maker between running in the top 10 and running 20th.”
Heading into the first off-weekend of 2018, Byron is looking forward to the time off to soak up the mass of information the past six weeks. A 20th isn’t what gets Byron of the team in a good mood, however, it capped off the first block of 2018 with a level of crucial stability.
“I’m definitely looking forward to the off-weekend,” he said. “I say that because I think that, even though you might not be worn out, there’s so much information that I’ve learned in the last five or six weeks that I really haven’t had a chance to process completely.”
Following the Easter break, Byron will enter Texas Motor Speedway, where he won in 2016 in the Camping World Truck Series.
“I think the off-week will be a really good chance for me to diagnose and debrief with my own mind and really take everything in that I’ve learned,” he said. “Then, we’ll keep pushing forward in Texas.”
List of 20th-Place Finishers So Far in 2018
Daytona: Gray Gaulding
Atlanta: Alex Bowman
Las Vegas: Trevor Bayne
ISM: Trevor Bayne (2)
Auto Club: Darrell Wallace Jr.
Martinsville: William Byron