Conventional wisdom might paint William Byron, not as an underdog but certainly the fourth ranked of those racing for a NASCAR Cup Series championship but there really is no such thing come this point of the season.
No matter what one says about the playoff format, it requires a certain degree of being battle tested to get to with a 25 percent shot of winning the championship.
With that said, Byron hasn’t won since April, even after winning three of the first eight races, including the season opening Daytona 500. There is a subset of the fandom that feels like this hasn’t been a championship caliber season as a result.
“Yeah, I don’t really care,” Byron said. “I don’t care what they think. I think that our team is definitely capable. We do view ourselves as an underdog because we didn’t win in the last round, and the circumstances of how we got here were a little bit different than them.
“We’ve really had speed and we know that as a team. It’s just putting it all together. There’s no better weekend to do that than this one.”
Not that he cares about this either, but Byron also has a degree of scorn about him given the circumstances of his advancement into the Final Four, needing a blockade of Chevrolets to prevent him from losing the last spot on points. It resulted in $600,000 in fines and suspensions earlier in the week.
But, and this doesn’t get enough attention, no one has scored more points since the playoffs began than Byron, crew chief Rudy Fugle and their No. 24 team.
“Yeah, I mean, that’s a good stat,” Byron said. “I feel like it just shows how strong our team’s been. We’ve been getting a lot of stage points. The last round I felt like Homestead was our weakest race. We missed out on a few points I felt like through the stages. Was able to creep out there even though we lost points to the cut.
“Martinsville was a super strong race. Honestly, I don’t feel like any of the races we got as many points as we could have gotten in the stages and the end result. I feel like there’s still more to go get. Points don’t matter this week. It’s just really about the last stage. That’s what I’m excited for.”
But still, the same people who say Byron isn’t a championship caliber team are also generally the same ones clamoring for a season long points format. That Byron is once again racing for a championship in a season in which he won the biggest race of the season is quite substantial.
That most recent win also came on the 40th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports first race, back when it was called All Star Racing.
“I feel like our team has just been through a lot of big moments, like no bigger than the 500 this year, lining up on the front row with a shot to win that race,” Byron said. “I feel like those moments really prepare you for moments like this weekend and moments like Martinsville, just kind of putting yourself in those pressure situations.
“There was no more pressure than the 40th anniversary race at Martinsville in the spring. Just feel like those moments definitely prepare us.”
And now, with his teammates having not advanced to the final four, the entirety of Hendrick Motorsports is solely worked towards making sure the 24 was the best that it can be. In other words, Fugle has enjoyed no shortage of help from Cliff Daniels, Alan Gustafson and Blake Harris this week.
“Like, we have worked super closely on the setup this week with all the other teammates we have at HMS — that’s one thing,” Byron said.
“Just the hands on the car. We don’t have the dilemma of what Penske has where we’re trying to prepare two cars. It’s all focused on the 24. I feel like there were a lot of hands on deck this week at the shop, which is really cool to see.
“Then we’ll have simulation going on back at the shop all the way up till the green flag. I think that’s what’s different, is just the fact that we don’t have really any other focus but this race.”
He also concedes he’s day dreamed about what it would mean to win this race, but only briefly.
“I like to visualize,” Byron said. “I can’t say that I haven’t ever thought of it. But I don’t spend a ton of time thinking about, like, the steps and the nature of it. I am a visual learner. Yeah, I kind of visualize everything about the weekend, for sure.”
Now, with the entirety of NASCAR’s most successful race team behind him, it’s time to do.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.