NASCAR: William Byron To Hendrick Motorsports Is Great For Both Sides

William Byron’s new NASCAR deal with Hendrick Motorsports creates a perfect scenario for both him and the team.

William Byron entered the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season as a member of Kyle Busch Motorsports but he’ll end the season as a member of Hendrick Motorsports.

Byron is in the process of breaking out and is already one of the brightest young drivers in the sport right now. Through 13 Truck Series races this season, he has five wins (Kansas, Texas, Iowa, Kentucky, Pocono) and has been downright dominant at times, with laps led totals of at least 40 in five different races.

As a result of his rise, he was signed by Hendrick Motorsports. He will finish the season in the Truck Series before moving to the Xfinity Series in 2017 to compete for JR Motorsports.

The latest move for HMS is just another step towards the future as the team has brought in another young prospect with Chase Elliott as they prepare for a younger group of drivers.

There are a few things that this could mean for HMS after the 2017 season.

The first possibility is obviously retirement for Dale Earnhardt Jr. After his concussion, many have brought up the thought of him retiring in the near future. He spoke to the media at Watkins Glen and had the following to say (via NASCAR.com): “Our intentions are to get cleared and get back to racing.”

While it makes sense for Earnhardt Jr. to return as soon as he is cleared to racing, there’s been speculation of his retirement for a few years now. It’s very likely that we could see him return and race one more full season in 2017 before calling it a career and leaving the No. 88 car for Byron.

Another driver to keep in mind is Jimmie Johnson. After the 2017 season, he’ll be 42 years old, which is the age when many drivers start to think about walking away. While Johnson certainly isn’t in a situation where he is injured or where he is trying to complete his legacy, there’s always the chance that Byron could be his successor.

Then there’s Kasey Kahne. His contract does not run out until 2018, but his lack of success in the past couple of seasons could lead to the end of his run with HMS.

While there’s certainly not anyone out there hoping for any of these situations to occur, it seems like the quick signing of Byron means he will be joining the Cup Series team within the next two to three years, leading you to believe that the No. 88 or No. 48 could be in play due to retirement and the No. 5 could be in play without a contract extension.

So the next thing to consider is Byron’s fit with HMS.

This is obviously the best-case scenario for Byron. He’ll only have to spend one year in the Truck Series before moving up and competing with JR Motorsports, which currently holds two of the top five spots in the Xfinity Series standings.

Being with HMS already opens Byron up to plenty of publicity and exposure and helps him build his name within the sport. But perhaps the biggest benefit of this entire situation is similar to what I mentioned earlier.

The possibility of pairing Byron and Elliott in the Cup Series obviously creates a great situation for the future. HMS has already lost one of their all-time great drivers in Jeff Gordon and could potentially lose another due to retirement.

By adding another younger piece to the mix, HMS has their future in order and will be able to stay near the top of the competition by developing Byron throughout the next couple of seasons.

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It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for William Byron as he is now a member of one of NASCAR’s most popular and most successful teams. If his 2016 season is a sign of what’s to come, Hendrick Motorsports just signed a future superstar.