NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron speaks about following God’s calling
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October 9, 2024 : By Ted Allen - Office of Communications & Public Engagement
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports and a student in Liberty’s online programs, shared wisdom from his motorsports journey with students at Wednesday morning’s Convocation in the Vines Center.
Byron is currently the NASCAR Cup Series overall points leader and is ranked first in the playoffs standings. With three checkered flags under his belt so far in 2024, starting with the season-opening Daytona 500, he has reached the Round of 8 for the third consecutive season.
Byron was introduced to the Convocation crowd by a video message from Jeff Gordon, vice chairman of HMS who drove the No. 24 prior to Byron, winning four Cup Series championships (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001) and a total of 93 races over 24 seasons.
“It’s tough shoes to fill, for sure,” Byron said of Gordon. “He’s a legend in NASCAR, and I’m just really thankful to … work with him almost every day. … It is special to build a friendship with him.”
Chancellor Jonathan Falwell, who interviewed Byron on stage, spoke with him about his unconventional route into professional racing, which didn’t start on the track but with iRacing simulators as a teen. He asked Byron how students preparing to go into various professional fields can be Champions for Christ wherever God may lead them.
“It’s just (about) not forgetting your purpose,” Byron said. “Why do you wake up in the morning? What motivates you to do what you do? How does your faith incorporate into that and what do you use from your faith to motivate you? I knew (racing) was my calling. I knew it was what I wanted to do and then there were a lot of things that lined up for me to do it. Nothing else in my life has had that effect, and I owe a lot of that to God and His purpose for me.”
Byron, who is pursuing his B.S. in Strategic Communication with Liberty, raced with Ephesians 3:20 on his dashboard for a number of seasons. The Scripture talks about “Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.” He said he has seen God fulfill that promise in his life through his rapid ascension through the ranks.
“I grew up in Sunday School, going to a Presbyterian church almost every Sunday, but really my faith took off when I started racing,” he said. “I got out on my own and it was kind of my faith journey. God was always guiding my decisions and whether I was winning or losing races, I always had the grace of God be able to go through experiences and learn from it.”
He said through the highs and lows of the sport, as well as the dangers and pitfalls, the Lord has been faithful to carry him through every trial and turn.
“Our sport is very volatile with the way that you compete,” Byron said. “You don’t win a lot, so there’s a lot of bad days and a lot of days that you really have to figure out what your purpose is besides just racing the car.”
He said communication and teamwork are vital to a driver’s success, and the preparation is as thrilling as standing in Victory Lane.
“It’s a journey every single day,” Byron said. “I enjoy more the aspect of the work that you put in and seeing the camaraderie with your team in the process of it. I enjoy the process of what we do probably a lot more than the end result. It’s really rewarding to put all that work in with your team and see it come together and trust each other. It’s all about communication, and it’s really all about the people because if I don’t communicate well with my crew chief or I don’t communicate well with the engineers about what the car needs or we don’t trust each other, the car doesn’t work.”
Byron enjoyed his best season at the Cup Series level last year, winning five races in the regular season and a sixth in the playoffs before landing in third place in the overall standings. (Byron has qualified in every season since winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2018; last year was his first to advance to the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway.) This year, he was the first driver to qualify for the playoffs and is coming off a third-place performance on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, his 10th top-five showing of the year.
On Sunday, Byron will compete in the sixth of 10 playoff races, the ROVAL 400, at his home track of Charlotte Motor Speedway, before going to the Round of 8 with races at Las Vegas on Oct. 20, Miami on Oct. 27, and Martinsville on Nov. 3.
For the XFINITY 500 in Martinsville, Liberty University will be the primary sponsor for the 12th time this season. Students, faculty, and staff can buy tickets to see the penultimate race to the Nov. 10 Championship 4 in Phoenix for $24 through a special promotion.
At the end of Convocation, Byron took a seat alongside Falwell, Liberty President Dr. Dondi E. Costin, and Vice President of Spiritual Development Josh Rutledge for an animated Mario Kart video game race aired on the Jumbotron.