First in a series of stories on the Championship Four — Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick and William Byron — who will race Sunday at Phoenix Raceway to determine the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series champion.
For the second year in a row, William Byron will compete for the NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway.
A sixth-place finish at Martinsville initially wasn’t enough for Byron to advance, as Christopher Bell employed a desperation move on the final lap of the race, getting loose and riding the wall for half of Turns 3 and 4. He subsequently appeared to get a final spot needed to pass Byron in the playoff points standings.
After a long review by NASCAR of the Round of 8 race, however, officials ruled Bell’s move was a safety violation and illegal, giving Byron the final transfer spot.
Controversy aside, Byron is a deserving championship contender.
Byron’s entire playoff run is impressive, as he hasn’t finished outside of the top six since the Bristol night race on Sept. 21
Despite winning three of the season’s first eight races — Daytona, COTA and Martinsville — Byron hasn’t had a smooth season. A summer slump was a major reason why he was so close to the cut line in the closing laps at Martinsville on Sunday.
But while the No. 24 team has been absent in a few races over the course of 35 weeks of competition, it has also finished in the top five 12 times and top 10 20 times, including 10 finishes of third or better.
Although Byron won six times in 2023, he said he was happy just to be in the conversation at Phoenix — a far cry from this season, where missing the Championship Four would have been classified as a major disappointment for the breakout star.
Only 26, Byron has plenty of opportunities remaining to win a Cup Series championship, but Sunday’s championship race in Phoenix has the potential to open the floodgates for another Hendrick Motorsports dynasty.
It wouldn’t be surprising to anyone in the garage if Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle forge the next Hendrick Motorsports dynasty. Three decades ago, the No. 24’s most famous driver, Jeff Gordon, partnered with legendary crew chief Ray Evernham en route to three championships in four seasons from 1995-98. Gordon won the 50th race of his Winston Cup career in 2000, when he was only 28 and in his seventh full-time season.
That doesn’t mean Byron is under pressure to put up the same legendary numbers as Gordon did, but those who have long roamed the garages of NASCAR likely marvel when they see the No. 24 come around.
It’s a number that represents one of the greatest pairings in NASCAR history, and serves as a constant reminder of the super team assembled by Rick Hendrick. Alongside Byron, former champions Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott — both of whom missed the Championship Four this season — make up one of the greatest teams in NASCAR history.
For Byron to rival his legendary predecessor in the No. 24 car, winning the 14th race of his career Sunday, along with the championship, would be an excellent start. It would also serve as revenge for last season’s championship defeat and could potentially be a warning sign that the same force that dominated NASCAR in the late 1990s could be in action once more on the No. 24 team.
