CHARLOTTE, NC :: William Byron will be heading to Five Flags Speedway for the first time but he will have the experience of a former Southern Super Series (SSS) champion to learn on in next weekend’s Snowflake 100.

Byron has been competing in the Perimeter-style Late Model Stock Cars at Hickory Motor Speedway throughout the season where he recorded a victory back in September.  Along with the Late Model experience, Byron has made starts in the Straight-Rail cars – finishing second in his Pro Late Model debut in a Viper Series race at South Alabama Speedway while scoring a top-10 finish in the All-American 400 at Nashville.

Byron will be racing a Straight-Rail Late Model prepared by 2013 Southern Super Series champion Daniel Hemric.  His past experiences at South Alabama Speedway and Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville give him plenty of reason to be optimistic.

“I think we’ll do pretty well at Pensacola,” Byron said.  “It’s all depending on qualifying so you have to make the top-30 to really have a shot.  We definitely want to make the top-30 and if we can be inside the top-five in qualifying, we usually qualify pretty well.  At Opp, we qualified second to Chase Elliott so that was pretty good.

“I think we’ll be able to qualify well and as the race unfolds, just try and save our stuff a little bit and hopefully be there at the end.  It’s a pretty short race so just hopefully keep the tires on it.”

Five Flags Speedway is notorious for its rough surface that eats up tires and, with that knowledge, Byron knows tire management will play a large part in the Snowflake 100.  He feels his recent experience at Myrtle Beach Speedway as well as his season-long experience at Hickory Motor Speedway should play to his advantage.

“We race Hickory all year, so we definitely have to keep the tires on it there,” Byron remarked.  “I think it will be a lot like that and we’re trying to get the car right on Sunday so when we go down there with Daniel and everybody, we’ll be able to hopefully get the car right then and work from there.  I’m really excited to be with Daniel for that race and I think we’re going to have a really good car.”

Byron also plans to lean on the experience of Hemric in the Snowflake 100.

“He knows what to do from the driver’s seat and he can take a lot of different cars and different styles and work with it. He’s really worked with my driving style well.  We really connected well at Nashville and Opp so I think we’ll do well there.”

Byron is one of several drivers representing the Perimeter Late Model contingent at Five Flags Speedway, joining names like Clay Jones, Kyle Plott, Brayton Haws and Dylon Wilson.