Editor’s Note: This continues the series of season reviews for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs drivers.
Driver: William Byron
Car: No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Crew chief: Rudy Fugle
Final 2021 ranking: 10th
Key stats: 1 win, 12 Top-5s, 20 Top-10s, 425 laps led
How 2021 ended:
After earning his second career victory and his second playoff opportunity, Bryon hit a streak of tough luck just as the postseason was starting. He had three DNFs in a four-race stretch spanning the last three regular-season races and the Round of 16 opener at Darlington Raceway. He still advanced to the second round but didn’t score a top 10 in any of those three races. He led a race best 30 laps at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in the second-round elimination race, but his 11th-place finish wasn’t enough to keep his title hopes alive. Ironically, after his title hopes ended, he finished top 10 in three of the final four races to close out the season.
Best race:
Byron scored his second career NASCAR Cup Series win with an impressive victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Before he could hoist the trophy, however, he had to hold off a hard-charging Tyler Reddick and two of this year’s Championship 4 contenders – Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. – for the win. Byron’s effort at Homestead started an 11-race streak of top-10 finishes.
Additional highlights:
Byron’s 12 top-five finishes – more than doubled his previous best in a season (five in 2019) and his 20 top 10 finishes were also significantly higher than any previous season (14 in 2020). His three runner-up efforts along with the win showed Byron was competing on a different level and elevating his championship expectations. In addition to his win at Homestead, Byron finished runner-up in the first race at Talladega Superspeedway, Michigan International Speedway and the fall trip to Texas Motor Speedway.
Stat to know:
In all, Byron posted career-best marks in top fives (12), top 10s (20), laps led (425), average Start (8.7), average finish (13.6) and final championship rank (10th).
Quotable:
“I think for our team, we at least expected to make it [into the playoffs] for a while now. We don’t feel like we’re just sneaking into the playoffs or anything. … I think the next step is just how do we perform in the playoffs and how do we get to the next level of our progression as a program.” – Byron on raising the level of expectations for the No. 24 team.
Looking ahead:
After a career-best year in so many important categories, it’s easy to expect Byron’s challenge next year will be to advance into the Round of 8 and quite possibly to the Championship 4. It will be his fourth career season with the reigning championship organization Hendrick Motorsports at the NASCAR Cup Series level and second season teaming with crew chief Rudy Fugle. And judging by their maiden Cup Series season, it’s obvious the pairing is in sync and primed to elevate its game next year.