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LYNCHBURG, Va. – The first time William Byron spoke before the student body at Liberty University, he said few people in the crowd were paying attention.
When he was introduced on stage Wednesday as part of the day’s convocation program, he not only got a round of applause but an attentive audience as well.
“I wasn’t the main speaker; nobody knew who I was,” Byron, 19, said of his initial speech. “It was the year before I was starting school there.
“The weird thing being up there today was everybody was quiet; before there was chatter the whole time. At least that’s what I remember.”
Byron has three victories this year in NASCAR’s XFINITY Series and was recently tabbed to move into the No. 24 Chevrolet of Hendrick Motorsports next season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
Wednesday, he was one of three guest speakers kicking off the new school year at the private Christian university. He was joined by HMS team owner Rick Hendrick and four-time series champion Jeff Gordon.
The hour-long program was held in the Vines Center, seating capacity near 10,000 for special events, and this one had several folks standing in the aisles.
“It was cool, something I never imagined (I’d be doing) going there just a couple of years ago,” Byron said. “I was a relative unknown, just aspiring to get through the truck series and try to find my way through what I was going to do next. Definitely special to go back and see everybody.”
Byron stayed on campus one semester during his freshman year but with his busy racing schedule he has continued his education through Liberty’s online program. It’s one of the nation’s largest, according to school officials.
“It was only about a year and a half ago,” he said of his on-campus stay, “but it seems like it was a lot longer.
“I would go to every convocation – they’re mandatory,” he said. “And they’ve had great speakers – Steph Curry, Tim Tebow. It’s always engaging and a great way to bring everybody together.”
Being one of the featured speakers wasn’t something he expected, especially so soon. “I thought maybe in 10 years or something,” he said, “maybe then they want to hear about my career or something like that. It’s pretty special.”
HMS and Liberty officials announced a two-year, 12-race sponsorship agreement Wednesday with Byron and the No. 24 team beginning next season. Liberty has been Byron’s sponsor as far back as his Late Model days. They currently serve as the sponsor of his No. 9 team at JR Motorsports.
“It was a big risk for us; we’d never really done sponsorship of a race car before,” Jerry Falwell Jr., Liberty University president, said. “But he proved himself. It’s incredible how fast he’s moved from level to level to level. …
“The Byron family has been so good for Liberty to work with; now we’re so thrilled to get to know Rick (Hendrick). We’ve started an automotive dealership management program in our business school. … Two eight-week internships at his dealerships.
“We’re proud of William and what he has accomplished.”