NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron (24) during qualifying for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

William Byron overcomes steering issues to finish fourth at Talladega

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Apr 27, 2025 8:03 PM ET

Steering issues plagued Daytona 500 winner William Byron early in Sunday's Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, but the No. 24 team never gave up.

After fixing the issue ahead of Stage 3, Byron drove into the top five, and while he wasn't able to make a move and go for the win, a fourth-place finish is a good result on a day that could've been much worse.

The team pits and takes the penalty to evaluate the steering issue. @WilliamByron reports steering is noticeably better.

The team will pit for four tires and fuel, next lap. #Valvoline24 pic.twitter.com/UpmBZGut2B
— No. 24 Team (@Hendrick24Team) April 27, 2025

"(It) seemed like some kind of steering issue," Byron told Fox Sports. "The guys did a great job getting it to where I could drive it there in the third stage... The first part of the race was really sketchy trying to steer through situations and change lanes, but really proud of our team. To be able to overcome that is a testament to what our team is this year and the things we can do."

Byron had an opportunity to win the race in the closing laps, but Ryan Preece got around him in the waning moments, forcing Byron to follow the No. 60 rather than leading a lane.

"I felt like I was in a really good spot to win there with 10 to go," Byron said. "Just got to look back at that and figure out where that went wrong."

Byron leads the NASCAR Cup Series points standings 10 races into the 2025 season. The two-time Daytona 500 champion is 32 points ahead of his Hendrick Motorsports teammate in Kyle Larson, with 16 races remaining in the regular season.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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