AVONDALE, Ariz. - William Byron is around an 8.4 when it comes to his golf handicap.
And he believes, Christmas decorations should go up around the end of November while Kyle Larson said his should be up this week sometime.
Hey, with over a half hour each of media availability on Thursday, things were bound to go a little sideways here and there.
NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 media day was held at Phoenix Raceway on Thursday afternoon with all four drivers vying for a title this weekend put in front of media scrums. As always, questions covered a vast number of topics including experience, championship pedigree, racing legacy and, yes, Christmas and golf.
Here's a look at some of the notable quotes from the Hendrick Motorsports duo of drivers on Thursday:
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William Byron on flying commercial to Phoenix
"Commercial for me is just as easy. I live 15 minutes from the commercial airport in Charlotte. I do a TSA precheck and keep my head down. I like to get treated as a normal person, which I am.
"I was getting some pizza (in the airport) and the lady was checking me out. We were having an average interaction and I think I was annoying her because I got some Nerd Clusters and then put them back. And the other lady was like, 'Good luck this weekend!' I was like, 'Thanks, appreciate it!'"
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Kyle Larson on crew chief Cliff Daniels
“I’ve noticed his intensity rising throughout the playoffs as we’ve gotten further and further along. I imagine we’re going to see peak, intense Cliff this week.”
William Byron on reaching the Championship 4 for a third straight year
“Third straight is really cool. We should take pride in that as a team, honestly, because it’s hard to do, especially in this Next Gen car. It’s exciting. It’s awesome our team has been here and done this before. I think it kind of narrows the focus and makes it clear and the track hasn’t changed and we’ve been in these positions and it’s very routine.”
Kyle Larson on his love for NASCAR
"I've always loved NASCAR. It really always bugged me that people assume I don't like doing this, I don't like NASCAR. This is like my 12th year. If I didn't like it, I wouldn't be here suffering through NASCAR racing. I absolutely love it. I love racing. I love competition. I love the team aspect. I love everything about racing. It doesn't have to just be NASCAR or just sprint cars, I love racing. Obviously, it provides a lot for us and our family but I get to compete at the highest form of American auto racing, so, what's there to hate about that?
William Byron on momentum gained in Martinsville win
"It's great. Feel good this week. This sport is always humbling that we're going to get back on track tomorrow, it's going to be a new task. Can't be naïve to that, the nature of the weekend. Everyone is on equal footing. Yeah, we're going to use, if anything, the mindset and the approach and our process. We're going to use that and have confidence in that."
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Kyle Larson on having his family in Phoenix
"Yeah, I mean, it's special. For sure I think they obviously see all the time that I don't get to be around them. I think having them here, it's a good reminder, 'This is why dad works as hard as he does, because this is something he wants to accomplish really bad.' Yeah, having them here is special to me. Also, friends and other supporters, they know how big this weekend is. They come, as well. All of that.
"Then yeah, I mean, I think down the road, hopefully when Owen is even older, he'll talk about what this day was like sitting, watching, wherever he is, the emotions that he's going through in the race, whatever. It's just cool having family and being able to have them here."
William Byron on his growth from the 2023 Championship 4
"Yeah, I mean, I'm a totally different person than I was back then. That's true with anybody. Like with age, you should be learning, you should be improving. I've learned so much since then. I don't really look back at that person and say, 'Man, how do I just be a little different?' There's so much different. Probably the only thing the same is the track and the car I'm driving. Yeah, it's a constant evolution. I mean, I probably use stuff from that race to apply to future wins the next year. I would say, I mean, this script kind of has been written since then, there's been so much that's happened."
Kyle Larson on reflecting on success
I don't ever reflect. I think, I don't know, you'd have to ask those guys if they ever reflect on their accomplishments. For me, I feel like when you're in the middle of competition, you still feel like you're in your prime, a lot of racing left to go in your career, that I don't like to worry about the past. I like to just focus on the present. That's kind of it. I think someday when I'm nearing the end or at the end, I think that's definitely when you reflect, for sure, and appreciate the accomplishments. Obviously, I appreciate the accomplishments I've had. I just don't think about it a whole lot.
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William Byron on the 24 team's headspace
"It's just kind of I feel like business as usual in a way, which is super nice for our team that we've kind of been through that. Yeah, I would say just kind of leaning on past experience and just things that we've been through. There's been many, many times this year where we've had big moments and things to kind of look back on and lean on.
"We feel good about where we're at. I mean, honestly, I don't think we talk about where we're at a lot. I don't know how other teams do it, but we don't talk about kind of like how good we feel or anything like that. It's just kind of the task or the goal. Yeah, I can't necessarily tell you where the team's headspace is at because I feel like we're just kind of focused on what we're doing.
Kyle Larson on having a teammate in the Championship 4
I feel like all four teams, Hendrick teams still communicate extremely well together. Nothing has changed. I think if I can't win, I want William to win. I think the same goes that way to me. I think we want to bring Hendrick Motorsports a championship. To do that, you have to work extremely good together. Yeah, that's what we do. We do it all year long, so why change now?