Byron extends contract with Hendrick Motorsports until 2029

Written by Gabriel Tsui

William Byron has agreed to a four year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports that will run until the end of the 2029 season.

Credits: Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images via NASCAR

On the Friday of 23rd of May, Hendrick Motorsport announced the team has agreed to a four-year contract extension with star driver William Byron, a contract that was initially poised to run out at the end of the 2025 season.

The 27-year-old joined the Cup Series in 2018 following a season in Xfinity, where he found four wins and multiple top-five finishes en route to a championship. Although Byron missed the playoffs in his rookie season in the No.24, he bounced back for a playoff appearance and 11th place finish in the championship in 2019.

Following a disappointing start to the 2020 season, Byron found his first Cup Series win in the final race of the regular season at Daytona, and has since secured another 13 wins, including two consecutive Daytona 500 wins in 2024 and 2025, while also making six consecutive playoff appearances and two consecutive appearances in the championship four, where he finished third place in both 2023 and 2024.

In the official press release, Byron expressed his gratitude for the Hendrick family for the opportunity to continue with the team, while also stating he has bigger goals ahead and is excited to achieve said goals with the team.

On the other hand, Rick Hendrick, the owner of Hendrick Motorsports, sang praises of Byron’s talent, work ethic and character, while stating his excitement to have Byron continue with the team.

This is obviously great news for the No.24 team and the Hendricks organisation, as Byron is one of the more tenured drivers on the field and has extensive playoff experience. With contracts locked down, the challenge now for Byron is to find the winning touch in crunch time.

Consistency and performance has not been an issue for Byron in the past few seasons, in fact it has been his strength in comparison to his teammates, who are all top drivers in their own right. However, Byron struggles to find a win in playoffs, with only one win in playoff season, while securing numerous top-fives. Should he be able to turn said top-fives into wins, there will be no one standing in between Byron and a championship. 

For the free agent market, yet another driver drops from the list for those looking for an upgrade. Teams such as 23XI and Team Penske will have to look elsewhere should they move in a different direction from their current drivers, but the free agent crop this season is below average, so they might be drafting up contract extensions as we speak.

NASCAR returns to action on May 25th, at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Charlotte 600.