MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Kyle Busch Motorsports announced Thursday that William Byron will return to the organization to compete in a three-race schedule behind the wheel of the No. 51 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this season.
HendrickCars.com will be the primary sponsor on Byron’s Silverado when he makes his KBM return April 8 for the Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and the Ricky Hendrick tribute scheme will also adorn the No. 51 for the races at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway May 12 and North Wilkesboro Speedway May 20.
All three races on Byron’s schedule will mark his first starts in the Truck Series at the respective venues.
Byron collected a Truck-Series leading seven victories and 727 laps led driving for KBM in 2016. He earned Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors that season and led the No. 9 team to an owner’s championship with his victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“I am so excited to return to racing with KBM. I’m looking forward to getting back in their trucks and hopefully having some fun for these three races,” Byron said. “These are three cool race tracks we’re paired up for and I’m interested in running at them since I haven’t raced there in a truck before.”
“Having William return to KBM for three races is going to be beneficial for our whole organization as we continue to build our notebook as a Chevrolet team,” Busch said. “You expect that he’ll compete for the win each time out, he’ll provide valuable feedback to Brian Pattie and our other crew chiefs and when it comes to the development drivers that we’ve had come through KBM, his race preparation is second to none, so he’ll be a valuable asset as a teammate to the young drivers we have in the building.
“Ricky (Hendrick) was a good friend of mine, so seeing one of my trucks hitting the track with the paint scheme he raced with in the Truck Series is going to be really special. We appreciate Rick (Hendrick) and everyone at HendrickCars.com for stepping up and making this deal possible.”
“This is a tremendous opportunity for us to continue building HendrickCars.com into a national brand through our racing partnerships,” said Greg Gach, president of Charlotte-based Hendrick Automotive Group. “We’re excited about supporting Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron, and partnering with Kyle Busch Motorsports and Chevrolet — who each have winning traditions in the Truck Series.”