Byron unveils new Liberty No. 9 car for NASCAR Xfinity Series

On the opening day of NASCAR’s 35th annual three-day Media Tour in Charlotte, N.C., Liberty University freshman William Byron revealed the new Liberty University No. 9 Chevy Camaro he will drive during his rookie season with JR Motorsports (JRM) on the Xfinity Series. Byron earned Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors after winning seven races in 2016.

“It’s a brand new paint scheme and a little different than what we’ve had in the past,” said Byron, 19, whose family lives in Charlotte. “I’m really excited to have Liberty back on board this year and to have the No. 9 back on there. I’ve been honored to have had Liberty as a partner the last few years, and I’m excited to take them into the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season.”

Liberty’s sponsorship of Byron goes back to his Late Model racing days with JRM.

“Welcoming back both William and reuniting with Liberty University, it feels like a homecoming for us,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, general manager of JRM. “It’s remarkable to see how quickly William has advanced his talents since he drove for our Late Model team.”

“We here at Liberty have watched William grow, as a racer, as a student, and as a young Champion for Christ,” Liberty President Jerry Falwell added. “We are proud of his achievements and are eager to see him continue to reach new heights.”

During Monday afternoon’s Facebook Live interview streamed on Liberty’s and JRM’s Facebook pages, Byron announced that Dave Elenz will be his crew chief for the upcoming season, starting with the Feb. 25 Powershares QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway.

Elenz is coming off a two-year stint as crew chief of JRM’s No. 88 car entry, guiding Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chase Elliott, and Kevin Harvick to four Xfinity victories.

“It’s really awesome,” Byron said. “It’s a dream come true to be in the Xfinity Series, and to have the support and sponsors I do. I am really excited.”

This season, Byron could race head-to-head with Earnhardt Jr., owner of JRM, and Kyle Busch, owner of the KBM team Byron raced for last season.

“That’s going to be interesting,” Byron said. “Dale’s really personable and I got a chance to spend some time with him lately, so hopefully, we get to race against each other this year. I know he’s going to be in the 88 a couple times this year. Kyle (Busch) is really talented and he’s going to be hard to beat, but I feel like with the team that we have, hopefully, we can get a few wins when he’s in the race.”

Byron, who said he earned all As and Bs as a residential student in the fall, started taking classes through Liberty’s online education program last week, to help him juggle his full-time job on the Xfinity Series.

“I just try to stay focused,” said Byron, a Business Communications major. “It’s a good way to get away from the track and have something to do so I really enjoy trying to pursue my degree and keep that going.”

He has never driven an Xfinity Series car and plans to test drive his new ride for the first time in the next two weeks.

“Supposedly, they don’t drive that much different (than Truck Series trucks),” Byron said. “I’ve had some dreams about it, but as of right now, I have no experience. Hopefully, in a couple weeks with some testing, we’re going to get some laps in and hopefully have a better feel. There’s some new changes with the Xfinity car this year, so hopefully we can adapt to those and I won’t know any different.”

Liberty will be Byron’s primary sponsor for 17 of the 33 races on the 2017 Xfinity Series schedule. Fans can follow Byron on his website, WilliamByron.com. 

2017 Races with Liberty as Primary Sponsor:

Feb. 25 Powershares QQQ 300, Daytona International Speedway (FX1)

March 4 Rinnai 250, Atlanta Motor Speedway (FX1)

March 11 Boyd Gaming 300, Las Vegas Motor Speedway (FX1)

March 22 Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300, Bristol Motor Speedway (FX1)

May 6 Sparks Energy 300, Talladega Superspeedway (FOX)

June 10 Pocono 250, Pocono Raceway (FX1)

June 17 Michigan 250, Michigan International Speedway (FX1)

July 22 Indianapolis 250, Indianapolis Motor Speedway (NBCSN)

July 29 U.S. Cellular 250, Iowa Speedway (NBCSN)

Aug. 27 Road America 180 Fired Up By Johnsonville, Road America (Wisc.) (NBC)

Sept. 8 Virginia529 College Savings 250, Richmond International Raceway (NBCSN)

Sept. 16 Chicagoland 300, Chicagoland Speedway (NBCSN)

Sept. 23 VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300, Kentucky Speedway (NBCSN)

Oct. 6 Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina Drive for the Cure 300, Charlotte Motor Speedway (NBCSN)

Nov. 4 O’Reilly Auto Parts 300, Texas Motor Speedway (NBCSN)

Nov. 11 Ticket Galaxy 200, Phoenix International Raceway (NBC)

Nov. 18 Ford Ecoboost 300, Homestead-Miami Speedway (NBCSN)

(Check the full 2017 Xfinity Series schedule online.)