William Byron optimistic ahead of Richmond despite poor 2026 season

Most drivers and organizations in the NASCAR Cup Series would be at least somewhat happy being 11th in points after 23 races. But most drivers and organizations aren't William Byron and Hendrick Motorsports. 

After three consecutive Championship 4 appearances and 12 wins over the last three seasons, fans became accustomed to seeing Byron's No. 24 up front. But that hasn't been the case for Byron or HMS much this season. 

Hendrick's only two victories this year came courtesy of Chase Elliott at Martinsville and Texas. Byron, who led 1,330 laps in 2025, has led only 136 this season and has an average finish of 15.6, which would be his worst mark since 2022. 

The two-time Daytona 500 champion is optimistic for Saturday's race at Richmond Raceway, however, after finishing ninth at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 10. 

Byron discussed the shortcomings of his team and HMS as a whole while speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Wednesday. 

Where does Hendrick Motorsports need to improve?

"It's really everything, but I think having more grip is key, and just going faster," Byron said. "I think a lot of times, at least for me, when we unload I feel like, 'Man, that's a pretty good lap.' Then I look on the board and I'm 10th or whatever. I'm not at the top of the board like in the past. 

"It's just a bit of a difference this year. I feel like we're trying to work through some things and [trying] to get the balance better. We kind of know a direction now, it's just working in that direction and I think we'll start to see some gains with that. I'm pretty optimistic, even for this weekend at Richmond, that we can have a better run than we had at Iowa."

Byron added that his goal is to hold his ground regarding the points standings, noting that if a driver goes on a hot streak during the 10-race postseason, they'll be in the thick of the championship fight regardless of where they started the Chase. 

Still, it's hard to imagine it's the No. 24 team that goes on that kind of run right now, but Hendrick Motorsports is no stranger to showing up and winning titles after a less-than-stellar regular season.