NASCAR Cup Series: Will William Byron earn his first victory in 2019?

By Asher Fair | Jan 11, 2019

HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 17: William Byron, driver of the #24 Hertz Chevrolet (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /

William Byron has never won a NASCAR Cup Series race in 36 career starts. Will he earn his first victory in the 2019 season?

Of the 17 drivers who drive for one of the top five teams in the NASCAR Cup Series, including Stewart-Haas Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing, three are set to enter the 2019 season having never won a race before.

Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron is one of these three drivers. Byron entered the 2018 season as a rookie, and he had never previously competed in any Cup Series races. He replaced Kasey Kahne behind the wheel of the #5 Chevrolet, which became the #24 Chevrolet when Chase Elliott’s #24 Chevrolet became the #9 Chevrolet.

The 21-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina native competed in all 36 races on the 2018 schedule, and he finished the season having won the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, but he did not have very stiff competition.

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Richard Petty Motorsports’ Darrell Wallace Jr. was the only other driver in the battle to win the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, and he finished in 28th place in the championship standings, which was the second lowest position among the 29 drivers who competed in all 36 of the seasons’ races.

Byron, meanwhile, ended up finishing in 23rd place in the championship standings, and he failed to qualify for the playoffs. In addition to not earning any victories in his rookie season, he also failed to finish a single race in the top five.

Byron recorded four top 10 finishes, including a career-high sixth place finish in the July race at Pocono Raceway, throughout the 2018 season. He ended the season with an average starting position of 17.7 and an average finishing position of 22.1.

However, while he definitely still appears to be quite a ways away from being in a position to potentially earn his first career Cup Series victory, Byron could end up being victorious sooner rather than later.

It is no secret that Chevrolet teams and drivers struggled in the 2018 season with the new Camaro ZL1. But the one driver who seemed to get a handle on this new car was Chase Elliott, one of Byron’s three teammates.

All three of Elliott’s victories, which were three of the four victories earned by Chevrolet drivers in the 2018 season, came in the second half of the season. Considering the fact that Elliott entered the season having never won a race before, it appears as though Hendrick Motorsports may have found something that can get them back to at least close to where they used to be as a team before Chevrolet’s recent struggles, which should play to Byron’s advantage.

With one full season of experience with the new Camaro ZL1 under their belts, expect the Chevrolet teams and drivers to be stronger in the 2019 season, especially Hendrick Motorsports after their success toward the end of the 2018 season.

After all, the 2018 season was the worst season for Chevrolet teams and drivers since the 1982 season, so don’t expect them to struggle nearly as much as they did in the 2018 season in the 2019 season.

Combine all of this with the fact that Byron is set to have a new crew chief and the fact that this new crew chief is seven-time champion Chad Knaus, who left the pit box of seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson following the conclusion of the 2018 season. Hendrick Motorsports clearly believe that this pairing has the potential to produce tons of great results, and justifiably so.

The 2019 season still may be a little early when it comes to Byron earning his first career Cup Series victory. However, with all things considered, he appears to have everything he needs to get the job done, including some success in the 2018 season that he can build on. If he doesn’t, however, don’t expect him to go winless again in the 2020 season.

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Will William Byron find victory lane for the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career in the 2019 season? The 36-race season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, February 17 from Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida with the 61st annual Daytona 500, so be sure not to miss it. Also, be sure not to miss any of the other 35 races on the 2019 schedule.

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