Hard racing is at the heart of NASCAR—let’s face it, bump and runs are just part of the game. Over time, every driver develops their style. Just look at guys like Dale “The Intimidator” Earnhardt or “Gentleman” Ned Jarrett. Those nicknames are all about their unique approach to racing. When it comes to William Byron, though, his style leans a little more toward the “Gentleman” side than the “Intimidator” one. Would you agree?
Anyway, we’re bringing this up because ‘The Madhouse’ race is coming up! Bowman Gray Stadium (BGS) is known for its super-tight track where bumper-to-bumper racing is the norm. And when you’re that close, tempers are bound to flare. But racing at BGS is also a test of patience and composure. Byron recently shared his game plan for handling the aggression that’s bound to happen at the short track.
William Byron might lose his calm at BGS
We know William Byron hates being called Willy B or any nickname-y version of Wiliam or Byron. But based on his driving style, we think William “Cool” Byron suits him best. He isn’t your loudest driver, but consistently wins races, and is almost always in championship contention. It’s hard to recall Byron wrecking someone (deliberately at least).
But he might have a different strategy, heading into BGS. He was recently asked what would it take for him to break his moral compass. To which he said, “I think everyone kind of knows my style at this point. I think I am pretty fair out there. But I don’t like to get taken advantage of. I’ll just do whatever I feel like is necessary. To be aggressive and win. But yeah, I’m going to try to race fair.”
We know Hendrick puts extra emphasis on winning the pole at the #Daytona500 . Got to wonder if some teams put more emphasis than others on tomorrow’s non-points Cook Out Clash @BGSRacing and what a win would mean. I asked @WilliamByron :
It’s gonna get brutal! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/z5ddbxOAOX
— Claire B Lang (@ClaireBLang) February 1, 2025
Also, William Byron has experience racing at BGS. From 2011 to 2015 the K&N Pro East Series (now called ARCA) raced there. And Byron in 2015 was part of it, finishing P15. While he doesn’t remember much of it. He knows there is going to be some bumping.
He had previously said, “The track is even smaller than the Coliseum, so I’ll be interested to see if that expands at all for us, if they move some things around. But I think that it’s just a really tight quarters race track and it’s going to create some bumping and banging naturally because that’s the only way to pass.” Although rare, we have occasionally seen Byron get aggressive on the racetrack.
Like in the 2022 North-South Super Late Model Challenge, Byron shoved Stephen Nasse to then go on and win the race. And sometimes hard racing is inevitable. Especially in a sport where clean racing is rare. And Byron might do anything it takes to win BGS as it could give him the boost to bag another Daytona 500 (a back-to-back, no less).
Byron on what it means to win “The Clash”
The Clash’s whole purpose was to build up to the Daytona 500 race! And Byron thinks winning BGS could make the chances of a Daytona 500 victory stronger. “I think it carries you all the way to Sunday at Daytona (500). Then once you start the race at the 500, you are probably thinking about. How can I win this race? So yeah, it makes your week and a half a little bit more you know enjoyable.”
But since 2022, thanks to the Superbowl there is a week-long gap between the two races. So that’s got to kill all the momentum gained. And the last time a driver won the two together was in 2016 and it was Denny Hamlin. But who knows, maybe Byron can achieve the feat this year. And not just that, the Charlotte native has more crown jewels on his list, this season. This was the question that popped up many times after winning the 500.
And he finally has an answer, “So yeah, I’ve reflected on it a little bit more now, and it’s awesome for our team. It’s a huge accomplishment, and hopefully, we can get more of those crown jewel wins. That would be my goal.”
Also, not just the crown jewels, this year he’s got the championship as the goal. Byron is one of the most successful drivers in the next-gen. Having made it twice in the playoffs since the car’s 2022 debut. But on both occasions (2023, and 2024) he finished the season in P3.
Do you think he’ll win any crown jewels or the championship this year? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
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