Fast Facts: NASCAR Next driver William Byron

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NASCAR Next member William Byron, a development driver with JR Motorsports, has been making a name for himself in the K&N Pro Series East in 2015, winning three times in seven starts and grabbing his first pole at Iowa Speedway. Learn more about Byron in this week’s Fast Facts.

• William Byron was born Nov. 27, 1997 in Charlotte, NC. He was a NASCAR fan as a youngster, and, after he spent some time on online motorsports racing simulator iRacing, was able to convince his father to take the next step – into a real race car.
• Byron and his father visited the U.S. Legends headquarters in Harrisburg, NC in summer 2012, and by fall of that year, purchased a Legends car to race in 2013. That year, Byron competed in 69 races in the U.S. Legends Young Lion Division, earning 33 wins, 64 total top 10 finishes and the national championship; he also won the Thursday Thunder Young Lions Championship at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the Young Lions All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• In 2014, Byron signed with JR Motorsports to compete in its region Late Model program, earning 15 top five finishes in 30 starts, along with seven poles. He was the North Carolina NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Rookie of the Year and finished second in Late Model points at Hickory Motor Speedway. He also raced in Pro Late Models and the U.S. Legends Pro Division.
• In 2015, Byron continues to drive the JRM Late Model, and also drives in the K&N Pro Series East for HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks. His sponsor for both rides is Liberty University, a non-profit Christian University; Byron is a student of Liberty University Online, taking classes to complete his high school requirements.
• Byron finished second to Timothy Peters in the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown in April, finishing ahead of names like Hermie Sadler, David Ragan, Chase Elliott, Jeb Burton and Hamlin.
• Learn more about Byron at his website, www.williambyron.com.