William Byron dodges late crashes to secure his second consecutive Daytona 500 victory for Hendrick Motorsports.

William Byron celebrates in Victory Lane after clinching victory in the NASCAR Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 16, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

By  NEWS BLEND 360

Updated 1:56 PM EST, February 17, 2025

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla (NB360) — William Byron skillfully avoided the intense crashes towards the end of the Daytona 500, which eliminated competitors vying for the victory, putting him in a position to potentially win again.

Despite being ninth with only one lap remaining in an overtime finish, the chances seemed slim for the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet to navigate the rest of the race without incident or to have enough time to achieve a comeback win.

Due to another crash, Byron managed a smooth final lap to evade the chaos and secure his second consecutive Daytona 500 victory. He skillfully avoided a series of late-race collisions that sidelined several contenders, leading the Hendrick Motorsports driver to victory lane Sunday night at Daytona International Speedway.

“It’s not all luck to win twice in a row,” Byron said.

Perhaps not. But Byron was certainly well-positioned by racing near the outside wall in overtime to become the first consecutive winner since Denny Hamlin in 2019-20.

Byron capitalized on another significant incident on the last lap — NASCAR chose not to issue a caution and allowed the field to race to the end — and celebrated with another familiar burnout at Daytona International Speedway.

William Byron (24) performs a burnout at the finish line after winning the NASCAR Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 16, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

“It’s definitely something special,” Byron remarked. “It’s an incredible race, with a lot of intense racing tonight and plenty of pushing and shoving.”

The 27-year-old Byron managed to secure the win after enduring two weather delays that lasted over 3 1/2 hours, with President Donald Trump planning to watch the remainder of the race in Florida, following his earlier participation where he led drivers for two laps around the track in his heavily armored presidential limousine, known in Washington as “The Beast.”

Hendrick Motorsports achieved its 10th Daytona 500 victory, surpassing Petty Enterprises for the record.

“Just really fortunate it turned out in our favor,” Byron commented. “Crazy? Absolutely. I can’t quite believe it, but here we are.”

Byron became the youngest driver to win multiple Daytona 500s, surpassing the record held by Jeff Gordon, who also drove the No. 24. Gordon, a Hall of Famer and four-time NASCAR champion, is now Byron’s superior as vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports.

Gordon gave a thumbs up when informed that Byron broke his record for the youngest two-time winner by four months.

“I hope he breaks all of them,” Gordon said. “I fully support that.”

William Byron jumps from the roof of his car into the arms of his crew members after securing victory in the NASCAR Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 16, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Austin Cindric was leading as the white flag approached when he was involved in a crash that eliminated several drivers, including Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, and Alex Bowman. This marked the sixth time in the past eight Daytona 500s that the race extended into overtime, setting the stage for Byron to become the fifth driver to win it consecutively.

Byron claimed his 14th victory in his Cup career and is already focused on the championship race in Phoenix after finishing third in the standings for the past two years.

“We aim to win many races this year, so we’re not stopping here,” Byron stated. “We’re going to keep pushing forward and strive to reach Phoenix.”

The Daytona race wouldn’t be complete without the flips, slams, and skids that inevitably push the race into overtime.

With four laps remaining, Ryan Preece's No. 60 Ford flipped upside-down and essentially performed a wheelie. His car rolled onto its roof, then back onto its wheels before striking the outside wall. Preece lowered his safety net to indicate to the crews that he was unharmed.

Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez, and Brad Keselowski all had their chances at victory thwarted, and the race was red-flagged just 11 laps after another major incident reshuffled the field and eliminated four former Cup Series champions from contention.

Defending NASCAR champion Joey Logano and Ricky Stenhouse initiated the multi-car crash when Logano moved to the center and Stenhouse attempted to block him. This caused a pile-up for Logano, and the resulting chain reaction sent several cars — including those of former Cup champions Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott — skidding in various directions.

Busch’s car ended up on a tow truck, extending his losing streak to 0 for 20 in “The Great American Race.”

Tyler Reddick came in second, with two-time Daytona 500 champion Jimmie Johnson in third. Chase Briscoe secured fourth place, and John Hunter Nemechek took fifth.

Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier finished ninth, representing team owner and two-time Daytona 500 champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. in JR Motorsports’ Cup debut.

Not bad, but not enough to surpass Byron.

Byron, who taught himself racing skills using computer equipment, once again emerged as a Daytona winner. Gordon, a three-time Daytona 500 winner, remarked that he still had the upper hand over Byron.

“Until next year,” Gordon commented.

Leave a legacy

Johnson and Nemechek achieved two top-five finishes for Legacy Motor Club. Johnson, a Hall of Fame driver and seven-time NASCAR champion, became the majority owner after an offseason restructuring. This marked his best finish in the race since his 2013 victory.

"I have emotions I didn't anticipate. I've never been in this role as an owner, and it's really brought out a different set of emotions," Johnson shared after securing his best finish in the race since his 2013 win.

Early exit

Helio Castroneves, a four-time Indianapolis 500 victor, and Martin Truex Jr., the 2017 NASCAR champion, were among the drivers whose races concluded early after being involved in a crash before reaching the halfway mark.

Castroneves secured a spot in the Daytona 500 through a new rule that grants a provisional place to a “world-class driver.” He joined NASCAR through Trackhouse’s “Project 91,” which aims to provide celebrated racers from outside the series an opportunity to compete in a stock car.

Truex, who stepped back from full-time racing at the end of the previous season, did not manage to win the Daytona 500 in 21 attempts.

Truex ended in 38th place, while Castroneves finished 39th.

Up next

The series now heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway, with Daniel Suarez as the defending race champion.