BRISTOL, TN - APRIL 12: William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports Valvoline Chevrolet walks out onto the pre-race stage prior to the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Food City 500 on April 12, 2026 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: APR 12 NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2604123626500
BRISTOL, TN - APRIL 12: William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports Valvoline Chevrolet walks out onto the pre-race stage prior to the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Food City 500 on April 12, 2026 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: APR 12 NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2604123626500
If there's one driver who needs a win to do justice to his 2026 Cup Series season, it's none other than William Byron. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has just not felt like himself this year. And Texas might exactly be the reset he needs.
So far, in the first ten races, Byron registered two top 5s and five top 10s. He has just led 34 laps (26 out of which came at Vegas), and his average start and finish positions have been 15 and 14.8. With 227 points, he's 11th in the standings. But that could turn around in Texas.
William Byron has 13 starts to his name at Texas, where he claimed one victory, three top 5s, and seven top 10s. Besides this, the HMS driver also has an average finish of 11, making him a successful yet surprising driver at Texas.
His last win at this track came in 2023, which was also Hendrick Motorsports' 300th Cup win. But while he has that win, it's the uncertainty of his performance that has been a headache for the #24 team.
MARTINSVILLE, VA - MARCH 29: William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports Cincinnati Chevrolet pits during the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Cook Out 400 on March 29, 2026, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA. Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAR 29 NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2603295277
MARTINSVILLE, VA - MARCH 29: William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports Cincinnati Chevrolet pits during the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Cook Out 400 on March 29, 2026, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA. Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAR 29 NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2603295277
From Phoenix to Martinsville, Byron claimed back-to-back four top 10 finishes. However, at Bristol, he finished in 30th place, followed by a seventh-place finish at Kansas.
At Talladega, the HMS driver crashed out in the 'Big One' and came home with a 35th-place finish, summing up the nature of his uncertainty.
And it's not Byron alone. While the #24 needs a win to do justice to his 2026 performance, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate needs a win desperately.
Byron's teammate Kyle Larson's hunt for a win continues
William Byron's Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Kyle Larson, has yet to win a race in a year now. Larson's last victory came at the Kansas Speedway in May 2025, exactly a year ago.
As NASCAR moves to Texas up next, Larson is currently going through a 34-race winless streak, a not-so-bright record for a defending or two-time Cup Series champion. Better placed in Drivers' Standings (6th) compared to Byron, Larson has three top 5s and six top 10s.
Despite having 7.7 as his starting position, Larson failed to keep the momentum in terms of his average finish (15). Out of the four HMS drivers, only Chase Elliott has been doing fairly well, who has grabbed the team's only win in the season so far.
You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!
Written by
Sabyasachi Biswas
Edited by
Suyashdeep Sason