THE MODERATOR: We roll into our post-race media availability now with our race winner, William Byron. We will continue with questions.
Q. William, just kind of curious your thoughts overall after what we went through with the practice and getting through the race, getting the win? What was your overall thoughts on the track, the layouts, and this style of racing on a mile and a half, which we’ve never seen before?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, certainly a lot to learn this weekend. I think that through all the things that we did to prepare, like nothing came close to what practice ended up being like, so I was shocked how crazy it was, how big the runs were.
My spotter, we talked overnight. It was like you couldn’t talk fast enough to get all the things you needed to say. I thought he really worked hard overnight and got a clear idea of kind of what needed to be said so we could work on that.
But we were not very good in practice. I felt like we were really tight and had some things that we had to work through. And Rudy and my engineers and all the guys on the car worked extremely hard to get it better. And today was awesome, obviously. We led a bunch of laps. It felt like we had the best car the way we could move through the field, and just awesome to win on kind of the inaugural race of Atlanta in this style, so always cool to do something like that.
Q. With the way the Truck and Xfinity races ended, did you think you were in the best position there the last couple of laps or did you feel like that you were in trouble and/or did you see something in those races that you were able to apply to the finish here?
WILLIAM BYRON: That’s a good question. I didn’t really have a chance to watch the races because I was racing last night at Hickory, but I watched a little bit of the Truck race. And I saw the last lap with Chandler leading and kind of how that developed.
So I was always trying to guard against getting too far out in front. But as soon as it got double file, I would say into turn one that really helped my cause to kind of be able to just manage the momentum. But single file, surprisingly, I mean, it might have looked like we were staying single file relatively easy, but it was hard to run single file.
It was difficult to manage the lead in the front and not have somebody get a run on you to easily pass you. So I think those things were interesting as the day developed. I felt like single file was my most vulnerable place to be, and then as soon as they would get kind of doubled up throughout the field, that was probably a little bit easier to handle.
Q. What is your QuikTrip pastry of choice?
WILLIAM BYRON: It looks like one of those sour cream donuts, so I’m a big sweet tooth, so I — my girlfriend knows I just eat constantly. So it’s not great, but it’s the way it is.
Q. Two for you. Being able to go back and forth and win at Hickory last night and then win here today, it’s kind of old-school. It’s like the old Busch Series run at a short track and then come run the super speedway on a Sunday. What do you think of that experience, being able to fly back and forth and do that?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I love it. I think it was — I hope for my sake that it doesn’t get overcrowded and a bunch of guys start doing that because I think it’s unique and cool, but it was a lot of fun to go to Hickory last night. That was the most nervous Saturday I’ve ever had. I was nervous in the Cup car. How was that going to go? How was the travel going to be going back to the other race track, and what is that going to feel like once I get back on the track?
Really just having good people around me to calm my nerves and just get me in the right state of mind, it was really nice to have something to kind of fill the space and be able to put my mind to something on Saturday night.
Hickory is such an iconic track, and the tire management that I had to go through last night was such a cool thing to go do, and really kind of challenged my mind completely different than this, but at the same time just the ability to adapt to stuff I think was a lot of fun and definitely hope to do more of that.
I hope to do Nashville in May, the Darlington weekend, and I think it’s just a lot of fun.
Q. You’ve worked with Branden Lines for a long time going back to your late model days. I believe this is his first Cup win. How cool is it to be able to give that to him after he has pretty much coached you throughout your career?
WILLIAM BYRON: Very cool. I mean, he — yeah, you said it best. I feel like he has been there really every step of the way. I mean, we’ve always kept in touch. Very similar to Rudy. Now I feel like at the Cup level, I have that triangle that we talk about with the spotter, crew chief, driver.
I have people that I’ve known for most of my racing career, so I think that’s very, very cool. You don’t see that a lot, but for someone as young as me, I feel like it’s really critical because my comfort level with him is very high. I can tell Branden whatever, whatever I think, and I can tell Rudy whatever I think.
So, yeah, it’s cool to see him kind of break through that bubble that is your first Cup win because it’s hard to get that. He did a great job throughout the last few laps, and I just had a good feeling coming into this race that we could do something good and pretty awesome to pull it off.
Q. William, some tires were popping, particularly on the Chevrolets. Were you kept abreast of what was happening there, and did you have a concern about that?
WILLIAM BYRON: So yes and no. I don’t think it was a Chevrolet thing. I think it was just the fact that whoever was leading for a long time when it got single file. Just the way that the cars felt on corner entry, you put a lot of load into the right-side tires a lot of time in the back traffic, you put a lot of load into the front, and that’s usually what you find on a repave is right front tire issues.
I think Goodyear has done a good job of working through and making sure that the right front does last, but the right rear is a little bit of an unpredictable thing because typically you’re not on the right rear that hard on a repave because you can’t be loose.
It was unique that that was an issue, but I’m sure it’s just something new with the track and something we’ll work through.
Q. I was just curious if today’s race was as mentally challenging or exhausting as Daytona or Talladega?
WILLIAM BYRON: More. More, for sure. Daytona and Talladega, when you get single file, can you relax. Today when you were single-file, you were constantly working to stay single file so you didn’t lose the lead. I think that was a lot different. I’m not used to that.
And the way that you — I told Branden at one point and Rudy, I was, like, man, I can’t believe we’re not halfway yet because this is — this just feels long mentally. Just all the energy that I’m spending to do all the moves that we need to make. Pretty crazy race, but definitely good to come out on top.
Q. You mentioned a few minutes ago about the triangle and having the right people around you. At this point do you feel like this is the most comfortable that you have been as a Cup Series driver and one the Hendrick organization since you have been there?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, definitely. I think that comfort has come in the last few years. I would say even back to working with Chad I felt more and more comfortable in the debriefs, more comfortable at the shop, and it was kind of one thing after another.
I would say the first thing I felt comfortable was walking into the shop and feeling like I could speak my mind and say what the car did, be critical. Then I think it slowly trickled to Rudy coming on board, somebody that I’ve worked with in the past, and then Branden was a nice addition to somebody I’ve worked with in the past as well.
Then ultimately, just having that good group around you and people that you trust and can work with. It’s been a great start to the year. We’ve had a ton of speed. Obviously had some wrecks and things, but I felt like today was due.
Q. I’m just kind of curious. You said a couple of times after you were climbing from the car. I’ve got to say the excitement, the screaming and the yelling was pretty intense, but you also said you were out of breath. And I’m just kind of wondering, was the out of breath from the exertion, from the emotion, from just the intensity of the racing? And if it was the latter, where would this stack up as just being nerve-wracking compared to a Talladega or a Daytona?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I think the excitement was just from, obviously, winning a Cup race. Cup races are so hard to win, and I feel like anytime you win one it’s just such an exciting feeling.
It’s a little bit different, though, when you have a nice lead or you’ve got a dominant car all day, but when you come to a speedway, you really don’t know you’re going to win until you come on to the front stretch and if you are by yourself.
So it’s just a crazy, exhilarating feeling when you win at a kind of super speedway style race because you’re constantly working, and you never — it’s never really guaranteed. That was where the excitement I think came from. But, yeah, I think it was a lot of fun.
Q. You ran the lower horsepower package here this weekend. You guys come back in July. Would you be in favor of a higher horsepower package to kind of get the cars separated, or did you like what you had today and come back with the same package?
WILLIAM BYRON: I doubt they’re going to change it after the way today was, but, yeah, I think repaves are tricky. You’re never going to — you’re probably going to have a hard time making the tires last for a couple of years with the pavement and the grip that this place would have if we had low downforce.
It is what it is, and just learning to adapt as we go and try to be the best we can at it.
Q. There’s parts of this track that some people say are kind of angry. It has its own little nuances already, and one of those it seems to be coming out of two in the back stretch. I was back there on the terrace watching, and you could see the cars kind of bottoming out. What did you feel in the car when you were out there, and how did that throw you guys around?
WILLIAM BYRON: Certainly the bump off two was kind of your lap counter because it was such a big bump that I felt like every time I got to that, it was like, all right, there’s another lap. Definitely kind of feeling it in your back. I’m sure they’ll smooth that out, and the cars are — as we saw at California, bumps are difficult sometimes with quick jolts, but overall I think that was the only thing I saw that was kind of puzzling, but I think the rest of the track definitely did have some character that I was interested the way it worked out.
The painted line definitely has a lot of grip. Not that you really need to use that, but certainly the way that the lanes work in the corner is kind of weird. There’s kind of like a snake effect to the lanes. It’s not just a smooth constant progression like it is at Daytona, so that’s a little different. I don’t know how that will change as the years go.
Q. First off, congratulations on your big win. I saw Alex Bowman come into victory lane congratulate you. Walk me through what he said to you, and how crucial is it to have such a tight-knit relationship in the Hendrick Motorsports family.
WILLIAM BYRON: It’s great to have really awesome teammates. I feel like Kyle, Chase, and Alex are awesome teammates. They’re really good race car drivers, and I feel like we all learn things from each other. We all have kind of our — as I have spent more time around all of them, I feel like we all have our tendencies and tracks that we like or dislike. It’s cool to learn from each of them. I feel like we continue to strengthen each other because we’re constantly kind of learning from each other, which is good.
THE MODERATOR: William, that seems to be all the questions we have. Thank you, again, for joining us. Congratulations, again, on the win. We wish you the best of luck next weekend as well.
WILLIAM BYRON: Appreciate it.
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