Axalta will be on board as William Byron, driver of the iconic No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, tries to earn his first NASCAR Cup Series championship. The 22-year-old driver cemented his place in the sport’s 10-race playoff with a dramatic, first-time win in Saturday’s Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway, setting the stage for a colorful championship run.
“We are proud of William and the entire No. 24 team for their outstanding performance at Daytona,” said Robert Bryant, CEO of Axalta. “At Axalta, we paint winners, and William certainly proved that Saturday night with his thrilling win. With the expert leadership of crew chief Chad Knaus and the powerful Camaros prepared by Hendrick Motorsports, we’re excited to see the colors of Axalta on the track as the team tries to win their first championship together.”
Byron won the regular-season finale in dramatic fashion after a late-race crash sent the event into overtime. Despite sustaining some left-rear damage to the No. 24, Byron lined up second for the overtime attempt and jumped out to the lead just before taking the white flag. A last-lap push from teammate Chase Elliott helped Byron maintain his lead and capture his first career win in the Cup Series and his second appearance in the playoffs in three years.
“I had confidence in Chad and the guys that we could get four tires and make the most of it,” said Byron after his win Saturday evening. “So, I’m just extremely blessed, and this is incredible. It’s been a hard couple of years in the Cup Series and trying to get my first win and gel with this team. These guys did an awesome job today and got us in the playoffs, and it’s amazing.”
In addition to the No. 24 driven by Byron, Axalta supports Hendrick Motorsports driver and teammate Alex Bowman, who also made the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs and will sport Axalta colors on his No. 88 Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 19.
Axalta’s longstanding, multi-faceted partnership with Hendrick Motorsports began in 1992 when Axalta first sponsored the No. 24 Chevrolet of driver Jeff Gordon, who went on to win four Cup Series titles and 93 points-paying races. Axalta also operates a 36,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Customer Experience Center on the Hendrick Motorsports campus outside Charlotte, N.C., enabling customers to train and be part of the full racing experience.
The 10-race NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begins Sept. 6 with the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on NBC Sports at 6 p.m. EDT.
