CONCORD, N.C. – William Byron will make three NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts in 2023 for Kyle Busch Motorsports with sponsorship from HendrickCars.com.
Byron will return to the organization to drive the No. 51 Chevrolet in a three-race schedule that includes the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt race on April 8, Darlington Raceway on May 12 and North Wilkesboro Speedway on March 20. The 25-year-old driver will sport the Ricky Hendrick tribute scheme for the races at Darlington and North Wilkesboro. All three of the starts will mark Byron’s first in the Truck Series at those venues.
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"I am so excited to return to racing with KBM. I’m looking forward to getting back in their trucks and hopefully having some fun for these three races," Byron said in a release. "These are three cool race tracks we’re paired up for and I’m interested in running at them since I haven’t raced there in a truck before."
Byron drove for KBM in 2016, collecting a series-leading seven victories and 727 laps led en route to rookie of the year honors. He helped lead the organization’s No. 9 team to the owner’s championship with a victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Since then, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has made two starts in the series with one resulting in a win at Martinsville Speedway last year with Spire Motorsports. To date, he has eight wins, 12 top-five finishes, 17 top-10s, 821 laps led and an average finish of 10.7 across 26 Truck Series starts. His eight wins place him tied for 20th on the all-time Truck Series wins list.
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"Having William return to KBM for three races is going to be beneficial for our whole organization as we continue to build our notebook as a Chevrolet team," Busch said in a release. "You expect that he’ll compete for the win each time out, he’ll provide valuable feedback to Brian Pattie and our other crew chiefs. When it comes to the development drivers that we’ve had come through KBM, his race preparation is second to none, so he’ll be a valuable asset as a teammate to the young drivers we have in the building.
"Ricky (Hendrick) was a good friend of mine, so seeing one of my trucks hitting the track with the paint scheme he raced with in the Truck Series is going to be really special. We appreciate Rick (Hendrick) and everyone at HendrickCars.com for stepping up and making this deal possible."
Byron is in his sixth season driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series. Last season saw Byron finish a career-best sixth in the standings and post his first multi-win year in the sport’s top series. He has two wins in the Cup Series in 2023 and six for his career.