William Byron, born November 29, 1997, in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a professional stock car racer competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 24 Chevrolet.[1][2][3] He is renowned for his rapid ascent from virtual sim racing on iRacing—where he amassed over 100 wins before driving a real car at age 16—to becoming one of NASCAR's elite drivers.[1][3][5][6] Byron's career highlights include a record seven wins as a rookie in the 2016 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, earning Rookie of the Year honors there and in the subsequent Xfinity Series, where he claimed the 2017 championship with four victories, including at Daytona and Indianapolis.[1][2][3][5][6] He became only the second driver, alongside Erik Jones, to win Rookie of the Year in all three national series consecutively.[1][2] Debuting in the Cup Series in 2018, he secured that series' Rookie of the Year award and has since logged 14 wins in 265 races, with 112 top-10 finishes.[2][4][6] Key achievements encompass his first Cup win at Daytona in 2020, a breakout 2023 season with six victories (including Watkins Glen and Darlington), and leading Hendrick to its 300th Cup win.[4][5][6] In 2024, he triumphed in the Daytona 500—Hendrick's seventh—and added wins at Circuit of the Americas and Martinsville, reaching the Championship 4 and finishing third overall.[1][2][5] He repeated as Daytona 500 winner in 2025 and captured his first Cup Regular Season Championship in August at Richmond, earning 15 playoff bonus points.[2][3] Entering his ninth Cup season in 2026 at age 28, Byron remains a title contender with 42 top-10s over two years, the series-best 11.9 average finish, and nine recent wins, solidifying his status among NASCAR's top talents.[1][3][5][6]