William Byron has performed admirably so far this season in NASCAR and is leading the championship standings in the playoffs.
The American driver has won three victories this year, including the season opener at the Daytona 500, and has been very consistent in NASCAR.
Byron is holding a slim lead at the top of the championship, with a six-point advantage over his nearest rival, Ryan Blaney.
He had suffered a difficult run over the previous five races before the event at Kansas Speedway, failing to take a top-five finish in that run.
Byron was much improved last time out at Kansas, finishing in second place for Hendrick Motorsports behind the race winner Ross Chastain.
Kevin Harvick explained when speaking on the NASCAR on FOX YouTube channel that Byron made a step forward at Kansas and he has exceeded expectations.
Kevin Harvick explained William Byron ‘woke back up’ at Kansas Speedway in NASCAR
Byron had begun to lose control of the championship battle in NASCAR after a lacklustre run of races for Hendrick Motorsports.
He still holds the lead at the top of the standings as the series heads to Talladega Speedway and the playoffs gets towards its conclusion.
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Byron will also be looking to score his fourth win of the season to lift the pressure as Blaney and Christopher Bell are still in contention after Kansas which is a NASCAR track that has produced excellent racing over its history.
Harvick explained that he didn’t expect the driver of the No. 24 car to be so competitive in the playoffs towards the end of the year.
He said: “I think that for me, the guy that woke back up this weekend was William Byron. I picked him to be out of the playoffs based upon what I’ve seen since Indianapolis and in the first round of the playoffs.”
William Byron needs to stay consistent to clinch his first NASCAR Cup Series title
Byron as developed in confidence in recent years in the NASCAR Cup Series, finishing third last season after taking six victories.
Last year was his best campaign so far, and he was in and around the podium for much of the season in NASCAR.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver will be looking to build on his second-place finish last time out Kansas Speedway with six rounds to go.
Talladega Speedway has been a good venue for Byron in the past, and he took second place their last season.