Last weekend was a big one for NASCAR driver William Byron as he won two of the three Martinsville races by himself. The No. 24 in the Cup Series also went down to the Truck Series last week. He was able to claim the checkered flag in both of those races. Byron has made himself one of the top drivers in all of NASCAR and will be looking for more wins.
After taking home two grandfather clocks last week, Byron, Jeff Gordon, and crew chief Rudy Fugle talked about Martinsville. Everything that went down and what went into the race. Gordon was highly complimentary of the 24-year-old after his two wins. It’s been a climb.
“We got two this week,” car co-owner Jeff Gordon said. “You know, I’ve been seeing him progress, I think all of us have, right? And when [crew chief] Rudy [Fugle] came on board, you know, his confidence in William, their history, and the confidence William has in Rudy; I’ve just seen this team evolving. They’ve been bringing great race cars, they’ve been leading laps, and now they’ve won two races already this year, and I think more are going to come.”
Even though he notched two wins and had a meaningful weekend doing it in front of his mother after her battle with cancer, the NASCAR driver reflected on the details in his Martinsville press conference.
“Normal short track stuff. Like, take care of your rear tires and all those things,” Byron explained. “I felt like we did a good job of that, Rudy made some great adjustments there [in] the mid-portion of the race. Got us a little bit better. Just try to manage when we got to traffic and had to be aggressive with certain guys, to move them or get them off line to pass them.”
NASCAR Goes From Martinsville to Bristol to Play in the Dirt
Short track season is so much fun. These old and historic tracks are some of the coolest venues in all of NASCAR. However, this weekend might be the coolest. Despite the feelings of some drivers in the Cup Series, dirt races are cool. They might be wild and we might be past the need for them. Still, who doesn’t like to see a dirt race?
As NASCAR turns from Martinsville to Bristol it is going to be a wild ride. That dirt does not forgive and those cars will be slipping here and there. Expect a few cautions in this one. And, expect a hard-fought battle for first place. That checkered flag is not easy to claim on the dirt. Another thing about this weekend is the awesome paint schemes teams are putting out. Bubba Wallace is doing a throwback scheme and there will be more than just his “Neon Moon” No. 23.
On top of the action on the track, the style on the track, there will be a legend coming out of retirement. Darrell Waltrip is set to call this race from the booth. So, fans will be happy to hear the NASCAR legend relaying all of the action for those watching at home.
