Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

William Byron Sounds Alarm Ahead of Las Vegas: ‘This Is the One'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Gowtham Ramalingam | Last updated Oct 10, 2025 12:32 PM ET

Highlights

William Byron eyes Las Vegas as his best shot to secure a Championship 4 berth.
Despite winning the regular season championship, the Hendrick driver has underperformed in the playoffs.
NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick pointed out the No. 24 team's underperformance this week.

William Byron is clear on his goals heading into Las Vegas this weekend. The Hendrick Motorsports driver understands that the South Point 400 could define his season and perhaps his career. After two straight misses in the Championship 4 and a winless streak that stretches back to August, he is treating the Round of 8 opener as his golden chance.

"The next round is the one we've put our focus on," he said in a media advance this week. "It's what determines if you race for a championship. Everyone especially is going to put a lot of focus on this weekend's race (at Las Vegas Motor Speedway). It's the easiest way to lock yourself in."

The Talladega Superspeedway and the Martinsville Speedway aren't tracks that a driver can approach trusting his skills alone in a must-win situation. Byron declared aware of this, "Talladega (Superspeedway) is a bit of a crap shoot, and honestly, Martinsville (Speedway) hasn't been our strongest in the fall. This is the opportunity we've been waiting for."

NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron (24) drives at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

In Vegas, Byron has averaged 41.6 points per race in the Next Gen era. This is second only to his teammate Kyle Larson. Also, he has five consecutive top-10 finishes at the track, which is the longest streak in the field.

But neither a top-10 nor anything less than maximum points will cut it this Sunday. Victory Lane is the only considerable destination for the No. 24 driver.

Byron’s Playoff Struggles

Byron took the regular season championship in some style despite winning just two races in the regular season. His consistency had rewarded him with such a giant lead that he grabbed that honor with an entire race remaining in the regular season.

However, he has done nothing noteworthy in the six playoff races since. Without the playoff points he secured in the regular season, he might very well have been knocked out of championship contention by now.

Even Kevin Harvick made a note of this underperformance on the "Harvick Happy Hour" podcast and said, "I think the No. 24 definitely underperformed. Their speed has been off ... They had a big miss at Kansas but managed to grind out a decent finish [P9] despite having no speed there. It was a big flop at Kansas."

"They're another team you just don't know about—maybe they’ll show up at Vegas, maybe not. They were awful at Kansas." Byron and Co. will need to notch up their performance at Vegas by a mile to get another shot at the coveted Cup Series championship. But just like them, there are other sharks in the pond and all are out looking for blood.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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