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MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES: DAYTONA 500 QUALIFYING

February 11, 2018

William Byron

Dayton Beach, Florida

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by William Byron, driver of the No.24 AXALTA Chevrolet, who was the fastest rookie during the qualifying session. William, why don't you take us through your run out there.
WILLIAM BYRON: It went well. We brought a really fast AXALTA Chevy. It's been fast since we unloaded it, and the guys have worked extremely hard during the off‑season to switch over the new Camaro and be able to show up and have the same speed they've always had on the superspeedways. I'm looking forward to running it in the Duel especially and hopefully learning a little bit there and apply that to Sunday.

Q. Alex was just on TV, and he was talking about how he was a little nervous and shaken there. I'm wondering, this is your first Daytona 500, your first Daytona 500 qualifying. What did it feel like for you both before you got in the car and then also when you actually were in the car?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, it's definitely nerve‑racking, just especially the process in which you go through to get to the car and everything that's around it is very different than anything else I've ever done. I'm learning that on the fly, but I feel like my comfort zone is when I get in that race car and when I'm around those guys and get a chance to really sit in and think about what I'm doing. The race car is fast, and it's fun to have the 24 and some of the fan support that has come with it. I look forward to that, especially in the week to come.

Q. What's the balance between racing and schoolwork? I know you're still doing both. And are you going back to class tomorrow?
WILLIAM BYRON: You know, my classes are online, so I can do it pretty much when I want. It's really flexible as far as my schedule goes. I do it basically before I get to the racetrack, and it's fun. It's cool, it kind of gives me a chance to get away from everything for a little bit. I enjoy that part of it, and also Liberty is a big sponsor of ours, so it's great to have them on the car. I think they start next week for us at Atlanta, and that's exciting. I just kind of manage it whenever I can, so it's not too bad. They work with me.

Q. Do you have anything due, projects?
WILLIAM BYRON: All my work is due on Mondays, so I did all the work for this Monday last week before I left to come here, and then I'll actually go back for a couple days and I'll be able to kind of catch up then.

Q. Were you surprised at anything today, either the way the car felt or how well you did, or did everything go just about as you planned coming in?
WILLIAM BYRON: I think going into qualifying, getting prepared for it, there were a little bit of nerves just thinking about doing my job in the car, making sure I didn't screw anything up or do anything that would cost our team. I feel like I've seen how hard they've been working, especially the last couple weeks. We had the test at Vegas and then coming here, so I just wanted to do my job and show the speed that we had. That was good. Qualifying went really smooth, actually. I was a little worried about launching out of the box and things like that, but everything worked out well, and really the hard part will be in the Duel racing around 20 other guys and trying to kind of solidify my spot in there.
I learned a ton yesterday in practice that I think will hopefully help me tomorrow‑‑ or Thursday.

Q. I know most drivers say that nobody puts more pressure on me than I do. Considering what number you're carrying and what the legacy of the organization you're with, is that true? Are you still putting pressure more so than from outside your cockpit?
WILLIAM BYRON: I would say so. I would say that the hard part was getting to this point, being in this car. The hard part was getting that opportunity, and now Mr.H and everyone, AXALTA, Liberty, everyone that's pitching in to make this happen, that part is fun, and it's exciting, and it's a chance to go out there and make a name for yourself. So I don't feel like it's that difficult. I feel like I can do what I need to do in the race car, and that's going to take care of itself. I think the hard part was getting to that point.

Q. We know that this is a display of engine horsepower, qualifying here, but what you've seen so far in getting to this point, can you tell us the pressure Hendrick Motorsports and the emphasis they put on this event and the organization and how they want to look showing up here?
WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I think they put a lot of emphasis on the off‑season and preparing our race cars, and I saw that the first time I got in at Vegas. That track is a handling racetrack, and it's really the characteristics of what the season is going to be like. They put a lot of effort into that race car, and we were fast there, and then the speed here is obviously shown each year. I think we've got a lot of good things in the works. Our cars seem really fast, and that hopefully is going to lead us to a lot of good results this year. I know they're preparing really diligently the whole year to make sure we're ready for this.

Q. (Indiscernible).
WILLIAM BYRON: I think we're all able to bring something. I feel like I get the most from Chase, just because we're so close in age, so I feel like we lean on each other the most, and then Jimmie is obviously always there kind of surveying all four of us. I think it'll be more as the weeks go on, but we've kind of leaned on each other equally.

Q. Are there some reasonable expectations for the Duel race on Thursday night and for the 500?
WILLIAM BYRON: Reasonable expectation would be just to finish, first, but that's going to take a lot. I've got to be aggressive. I've got to be smart. I feel like the best thing for me to do is go out there and be aggressive, and you can't really hide at these kind of racetracks, so you have to go out there and make sure you're making moves and see who will work with you, and I'll probably figure out most of that in the Duel and be able to lead that into Sunday. But I think the best thing for me to do is kind of do what I did here in the XFINITY car and keep in mind what the Cup car does differently, and hopefully combine all that together.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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