William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, is approaching the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with heightened confidence following a productive two-day Goodyear tire test at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Currently leading the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship standings by 29 points over Christopher Bell, Byron believes the insights gained during the Charlotte test could provide his team with a crucial edge for the race.
Will Charlotte Test Translate to Homestead Win for William Byron
The 2025 season has been marked by consistency for Byron, who kicked off the year with a victory at the prestigious Daytona 500. Since then, he has recorded three top-five finishes and four top 10s, along with a significant collection of stage points.
Byron’s recent momentum is particularly noteworthy, with finishes of sixth or better in his last three races, including a fourth-place result at the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The Charlotte tire test has proven invaluable for Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle as they prepare for Homestead.
“Yeah, I think if we didn’t have this test, we would just build off of Vegas, and we’d just go to Homestead and try to duplicate what we did at Vegas,” Byron explained. “The fact that we have this test steps us through the things we would have done to go to Homestead and hopefully that should be an advantage for us.”
Byron benefits from this strategic move precisely when he needs it since Homestead-Miami Speedway is one of his favorite tracks. According to him and his crew chief, the 2021 triumph at this venue placed Homestead-Miami Speedway among his top tracks of choice.
Homestead presents unique challenges that Byron is well aware of.
“Well, it takes everything,” he noted. “It’s a driver’s track because there is a lot of technique, but you have to have a good car. You have to have a car that is good on the long run and things like that.”
Byron compared the demands of Homestead to those of Darlington Raceway, emphasizing the importance of both driver skill and vehicle performance. He also appreciates the scheduling change that places Homestead in the spring rather than as a crucial playoff race.
“Honestly, I think Homestead will be more fun being in the spring because you can really test the limit of the car and not have to worry so much about outcomes,” he said. “It’s still a points race, so it still matters, but it’s not like that semifinal race or second-to-last race where you have to really focus on points.”
Byron has established himself as one of the main drivers to watch ahead of the Straight Talk Wireless 400, which begins on Sunday, March 23, at 3 p.m. ET on FS1. The No. 24 team has strong potential to turn its success at Charlotte into a Homestead victory, as Byron has shown excellent results in tire tests and seasonal consistency at the track, along with a past win there.