After winning Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway, William Byron is understandably a fan of the .875-mile oval.
However, Byron’s affinity for the midwestern short track — which just hosted its second-ever Cup Series event — is actually nothing new.
That’s because the Hendrick Motorsports driver has a super-long history with the venue. And because he was well-acquainted with Iowa Speedway’s Victory Lane well before he took his No. 24 Chevrolet there this past weekend and returned to the top of the Cup Series standings.
WILLIAM BYRON WINS AT IOWA! 🌽🏁 pic.twitter.com/KWwuJd70x6
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) August 3, 2025
William Byron Has A Relationship With Iowa Speedway That Goes Way Back
Before going full-time NASCAR Cup Series racing for Hendrick Motorsports in 2018, William Byron honed his skills in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
And before getting the chance to compete in either the Xfinity Series or a truck, Byron logged thousands of laps on an iRacing simulator — which ultimately led to all the opportunities he’s enjoyed in the sport.
One of the tracks where Byron spent the most time racing virtually just so happened to be Iowa Speedway.
Addressing reporters on Sunday after his win in the Hawkeye State, Byron shed some important light on his earliest experiences with the track.
“The funny story, backstory with this place, and kind of Pocono ropes into that as well, is that when I was a kid, the iRacing schedule would always line up with the racetracks in the summer,” Byron said. “And that’s when I would have the most time to iRace was in the summer.
“So, I would race this track a ton on iRacing. I feel like that’s why it’s been a good track for me.”
For many years, long before joining the Cup Series schedule in 2024, Iowa Speedway was a regular summer stop for both the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series. That was right about the time Byron was so big into iRacing.
“I have thousands of laps in my head of how the rhythm of this place goes,” Byron said of Iowa Speedway. “And even with repaves and everything, I feel like I just spent so much time as a 14-year-old, 13-year-old just racing on iRacing on Iowa and Pocono.
“I feel like those tracks in the summer, it honestly lines up pretty good (for me). Those are usually our fastest tracks.”
Getting The Iowa ‘Trifecta’ Was Special For William Byron — And His Father
Winless since opening the 2025 season with his second consecutive Daytona 500 victory, William Byron came into the Iowa race weekend hungry for a return to Victory Lane. However, Byron’s triumph did more than put an end to his mini-drought.
It also made him just the second driver to prevail at Iowa Speedway in all three of NASCAR’s national stock car series: Cup, Xfinity and Truck (Ryan Blaney was the first to do it.).
As an Xfinity Series driver for JR Motorsports in 2017, Byron finished P1 at Iowa on the way to the series championship. And he did the same for Kyle Busch Motorsports the year before, in his lone full season of Truck Series competition.
Having a win at any track in all three major NASCAR stock car series is a pretty rare and significant feat — even if Byron wasn’t necessarily thinking about achieving it when he first arrived at Iowa to prepare for last Sunday’s showdown.
“Yeah, I mean, I think it means a lot to my dad, honestly,” Byron said after the race. “He loves this place. That was one of his encouragements towards me throughout the weekend. He’s like, ‘Man, go for the trifecta.’ I hadn’t thought about it until now, really. But it’s definitely going to be special long-term. It’s something I’ll definitely look back on.
“In the moment, though, I think it’s all about what we’re doing this season. And to get a second win on the year is really awesome for our confidence as a team and going forward.”
