NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C.—William Byron considers himself a “Caniac”.
So, it wasn’t surprising to find Byron in the stands Thursday night for the first game of the NHL Eastern Conference finals between the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers.
Since the match was held on the eve of All-Star qualifying at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Byron did not last through the fourth overtime of the epic five-hour, 44-minute contest at PNC Arena in Raleigh that ended in a Canes’ 3-2 loss.
“That was a long game last night,” Byron said. “Unfortunately, we had to leave, but I was there through the first overtime and I did watch the end of the game. That’s why my voice sounds the way it does.
“It was tough, man. Four overtimes and it was about two in the morning. So, we’ll move on to the next game. They played really hard. I got some inspiration from watching that, definitely.”
With Byron’s recent success — he’s the first NASCAR Cup driver to win three races this season following his victory last Sunday at Darlington–the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet needs no motivation.
In his sixth full season with HMS, the 25-year-old racer is enjoying his best season to date.
On Wednesday, Byron had a solid North Wilkesboro Speedway warmup. On Wednesday, he finished second to Bubba Pollard in the ASA STARS National Tour ECMD 150. Compliments of HMS, Byron flew to the game in the company helicopter. Friday’s obligations—he’s running both trucks and Cup—cut the evening short.
“Good scene and a good opportunity to go up there to watch the game, but unfortunately had to come back home,” Byron said. “I think it was probably for the better, for the sanity of my race teams, so I could be ready for practice. But, yeah, it’s tough to tough to watch (the loss). That’s just the way it goes.”
The three-period, four-overtime game was a record for both expansion franchises. Byron compared the marathon match to the Coca-Cola 600 simply due to the length of play.
“I was telling somebody it felt like it felt like I was getting ready for the (Coca-Cola) 600 because it was about the same distance,” Byron said. “I study what the strategy is. Jordan Martinook (Hurricanes left wing and alternate captain) and I have started to text a bit here and there.
“He had a lot of goals in the last series. I love watching their mannerisms and the way they handle adversity. I think I can learn from things that they do on the ice and figure out how they handle different challenges.
“Honestly, I was watching that game just to see how tired they got. The same thing happens in a long race. It’s like you get tired to a certain point and then you start to get this second wind and you kind of come back up.
“They could have played for like four more periods it seemed like—just the adrenaline and the way that your body kind of maintains that level. So that was interesting to me. You could see that the players weren’t really tired after a while…kind of the same thing happens in the car.”
Byron will compete in his fifth All-Star Race on Sunday. He qualified for the first two events through stage wins in the Open. His wins the last two seasons have offered Byron an automatic spot. In 2021, Byron led 30 laps in the feature before finishing a career-best seventh.
“Just excited for the All-Star race,” Byron said. “It’s going to be super exciting for the fans. The different places you can watch the race from — just the overall area around the track just looks great. So, I’m excited.”
Does he anticipate fatigue during Friday’s qualifying, in which the onus is on the pit crews?
“I feel fine,” Byron said. “All I have to do is sit and push the pedals and steer wheels. If it was hot out, it would be worse. But I’ll be fine. Make my tire runs, give some good feedback on the truck and the cup car.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer.
