William Byron addresses driver pay in NASCAR, wants new drivers to 'demand their value'

NASCAR driver pay is a subject that has come up a few times recently. William Byron has now weighed in on the topic. So, how do Byron and other drivers in the Cup Series, stack up against the Jeff Gordons and Tony Stewarts of old?

On the Kenny Conversation with Kenny Wallace, William Byron talked about driver pay. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson brought up the subject with Wallace when he was on the show not long ago.

So, has driver pay fallen even for the stars of the sport?

“No I think that’s mostly false,” Byron said when asked by Kenny Wallace. “It definitely is false for the great drivers, or the guys that are winning races. I think that there’s a, and I heard Kyle [Larson] talk about this, there’s an average and I think that if we get drivers that come in that do race for whatever that number is and just kind of bring everything down; it’s important that we hold that value.

“I think the drivers, we’ve got a council and we’ve got a lot of things going on behind the scenes to make sure that doesn’t happen. But yeah I was definitely concerned about that coming in but the best thing you can do is win races and compete up front and you’re gonna be in line to make what those guys make.

“It’s a performance sport, that will never change. Yeah, definitely the bottom line I guess and the overall average of the series has probably shifted over the last few years, but I think it’s important that when new drivers come in that they demand their value and I think that really kind of establishes it.”

According to William Byron, it’s up to the drivers to get what they’re worth.

William Byron leading next generation of young talent on and off the track

At just 26 years old, Byron has accomplished some great things in NASCAR. He won more races in the Truck Series than any other rookie driver ever with seven total wins in 2016. The year after that he won the Xfinity Series championship.

Last year, Byron had the most wins in the Cup Series with six. Then he made the Championship 4. Finally, he went out and won the Daytona 500, having never finished better than P21 before. There are few his age that have accomplished what he has.

Now hearing Byron talk about driver pay, this guy is ready to take the next step. Often overlooked, keep an eye on Willy B. He makes a great point about driver pay. If new drivers come in and accept whatever a team offers, then it cheapens the power of the others in the series.