“You guys are the first people I tell that I do this.”
William Byron allowed himself to share some vulnerability in the new season of Netflix’s “NASCAR: Full Speed,” which premiered on the streaming platform May 7.
FULL SPEED: See full Netflix hub
The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet reveals in Episode 3 of the five-part docuseries that he regularly meets with a sports therapist, largely to find better balance between his high-intensity career behind the wheel and his day-to-day life outside the car.
“What made me want to do it is just I felt like I was a very quiet communicator and I didn’t say a lot,” Byron said. “And I felt like that was getting in the way of our success or potential success as a team. But then it transitioned to learning more about myself as a person, and so then I feel it took off.”
The 27-year-old native of Charlotte, North Carolina, admits: “I’m not a very open person, so I don’t let a lot of people in.”
With that came harboring the pressure of driving one of NASCAR’s most famous numbers for its powerhouse team. Jeff Gordon propelled Hendrick’s No. 24 into the mainstream world over the course of his legendary career, collecting four NASCAR Cup Series championships and 93 wins. Byron took claim of the number for the same team in 2018. And with Gordon now serving as the team’s vice chairman, there are immense expectations placed on Byron as he continues to find his own success.
But Byron has done just that: In February, he became the first back-to-back winner of the Daytona 500 since Denny Hamlin did so in 2019-20, adding to his current tally of 14 career Cup wins. He has advanced to the title-deciding Championship 4 round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in each of the past two years and stands as the series’ points leader through 11 races in 2025.
“I feel like I’ve grown a lot off the track, and I feel like finding a balance in life in general helped me on the track because I was more driven,” Byron said.
That growth has fostered better mindsets for Byron as he has more readily equipped himself for high-pressure situations.
“How can I understand myself as a person?” Byron said. “I feel like that was something that I put off for a long time because I was just so focused on racing.”
Sharing such a personal journey is not second nature for Byron — whether with cameras or during his personal appointments.
“At first, it was really hard to tell her everything,” Byron said. “And sometimes, I feel like I don’t say as much as I should. And I’m like, dang it. I should have said this, right? Should have gone into more detail. But I just try to give her everything that’s on my mind.”