The average age of Hendrick Motorsports drivers is dropping significantly in 2018, as the organization is going through (quite possibly) it’s biggest transformation ever. In addition to Alex Bowman joining the team, 20-year-old William Byron will also be a new face on the Hendrick roster in 2018, as he is going to be taking over the #24 Chevrolet with Darian Grubb on the pit box. It’s worth noting, though, that this “new” #24 team is the old #5 team of Kasey Kahne, as last year’s #24 team is now the #9 team with Chase Elliott.
Cup Series History
William Byron will be making his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start this season at the Daytona 500. Welcome to the big leagues, kid. As far as his NASCAR history overall, Byron was crowned the Xfinity Series champion in 2017 and won four races over that 33-race schedule. When he ran in the Truck Series in 2016, William came home 5th in the points despite winning seven of the 23 races on the schedule. In other words, he’s won in pretty much everything he’s raced in thus far, and now he’s behind the wheel of one of the most iconic cars in NASCAR.
Predictions for the Upcoming Season
It’s hard to not get excited about the 2018 Rookie of the Year. Yes, I’m already saying it’s going to happen. William Byron didn’t grow up around racing, but he’s out here dominating the lower leagues in NASCAR like he’s been racing since he came out of the womb. As one former driver has put it, Byron is a “freak of nature.” Now, the ultimate question is, how will this success in the Truck and Xfinity Series translate to the Cup Series? One previous driver that comes to mind is Joey Logano, who received a lot of hype but struggled mightily in NASCAR’s top division for four years before really breaking through. Of course, on the flip side, you could say the same thing about Kyle Larson, although it did take him a couple of years to really contend.
Overall Expectations: You can expect a lot of good finishes with William Byron this season along with a lot of bad. There’s going to be a lot of learning curves that this 20-year-old will have to deal with, and the fact of the matter is that it’s been a very long time since a rookie has came in and made a splash in NASCAR’s top series. Additionally, you have to wonder whether this will be a “thrown to the wolves” moment, as Byron has just one Truck Series and on Xfinity Series season under his belt. This season will also give us a glimpse into whether or not the #5 team’s struggles with Hendrick were because of the driver (Kasey Kahne) or the team. Overall, mid-double-digit top 10 finishes and seven or eight top 5 results are well within reach for William Byron and the #24 team in 2018.
Can William Byron win a Cup Series race in 2018? The stars are definitely aligning for this rookie to get to victory lane in 2018. Not only is the new Chevrolet Camaro being introduced this season, but after a down-year for Hendrick Motorsports overall in 2018, we really saw Chase Elliott come on strong once the Playoffs started. That bodes well for Byron in his rookie year, not to mention the fact that Darian Grubb is atop the pit box for him, who knows how to take the risks necessary on race day to get into victory lane.
William Byron as a Fantasy Option in 2018
DraftKings: It’s hard to predict where DraftKings is going to price William Byron in 2018. He has so much hype surrounding him that it wouldn’t be surprising if they had him closer to the top of the price sheet than the bottom. That being said, this is a green rookie we’re talking about with absolutely zero Cup Series experience. It’s going to depend on the price point of Byron for each race, but he’s probably going to be a building block for many lineups throughout the year.
Season-Long Salary Cap Games: Most season-long salary cap games will have William Byron priced in the lower tier simply because he is a rookie. In those leagues, you should definitely considering throwing him on your team. This kid has so much potential that he could be the steal of the season. With that being said, consistency is often the key to winning season-long salary cap Fantasy NASCAR games, and that’s a big task to expect out of a rookie–especially one with a gambling crew chief calling the shots.
