For William Byron, this trip to Hendrick Motorsports was different.
As a fan of the organization with 11 Sprint Cup championships, Byron had visited the Concord, North Carolina, shop before. He peered through the windows at an organization he dreamed of driving for one day.
Thursday, his multi-year contract in partnership with JR Motorsports was made official.
Friday, he was back at the shop — only this time wearing a black Hendrick polo shirt and a bright smile.
“I’ve got a bunch of apparel and things I’m trying out, so I’m really excited about that,” Byron said. “It’s like a kid in a candy store. That’s the cool part about it, but I also can’t wait to get to know some of the guys and meet the crew chiefs.”
Team owner Rick Hendrick will give Byron a personal tour of the shop after this weekend’s events at Bristol Motor Speedway. Hendrick came calling a few weeks ago, which Byron had no inkling would happen. Not when his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner, Kyle Busch Motorsports, also has Sprint Cup Series ties.
“For Mr. Hendrick to put the deal together and to have the interest in bringing me along as a driver and not have any strings attached is just a really special opportunity,” Byron said. “Not only was it a great fit meeting with them, but then when I heard what he had to say, what he was proposing, it’s something that I just couldn’t turn down.”
What was it like for an 18-year-old to meet the legendary car owner?
“I was pretty nervous,” Byron said with a laugh. “I was probably trembling a little bit. He just has such a good perspective on the sport and such good insight, so every minute that I got to listen and learn was really neat for me.”
There have been no talks or a timetable put in place for his future beyond 2017, when he will run in the NASCAR XFINITY Series in a JRM entry, Byron said. The immediate focus is the Camping World Truck Series championship. Byron leads the drivers points standings by 37 points after Bristol, on the strength of five wins. He also is locked into the series’ inaugural Chase.“It’s just one thing at a time,” Byron said. “They want me to succeed at JR Motorsports and get to know the guys, get to know the culture, and that’s the most important thing. But it’s encouraging to know I have a future here, and that’s really cool to me.”
The excitement of what’s ahead will be hard for Byron to suppress.
Chase Elliott set the bar with JR Motorsports in 2014 with an XFINITY Series championship, and Byron wants to try to match it. Teammates like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne are at his disposal. Jeff Gordon is still around, and his was one of the coolest phone calls Byron said he received. And Jimmie Johnson is someone Byron grew up idolizing and at whose house he once trick-or-treated.
“Once we got up there, all the dads that were carting around the candy were really amazed,” Byron said. “They didn’t think he was going to open the door. It was really neat and something I’ll always remember.”
As will this week, which Byron could only describe as a whirlwind.
“It’s such a surreal feeling,” Byron said. “I’m really proud to be a part of it. It’s fun to have something to want to race for like that, and it’s going to really help the future because I’m so passionate about being here. That’s always a good fit for everyone, and that’s what I’m looking forward to the most.”