By David Morgan, Associate Editor
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – William Byron is a Daytona 500 champion for the second year in a row.
Sunday’s 67th running of the Great American Race, which was delayed by rain and pushed into overtime, saw Byron sneak through a last lap crash on the backstretch and holding off Tyler Reddick to become the first back-to-back Daytona 500 champion since Denny Hamlin accomplished the feat in 2019 and 2020.
“Obviously some good fortune, but just trusted my instincts on the last lap there,” Byron said. “I felt like they were getting squirrelly on the bottom and I was honestly going to go to the third lane regardless because I was probably sixth coming down the back.
“Just obviously fortunate that it worked out in our favor. Just really proud of this No. 24 Axalta Chevy team. They worked super hard all week and we had an amazing car. Just had a really hard time with the fuel saving and kind of staying towards the front.
“Crazy. I can’t honestly believe that. But we’re here. So proud of it.”
ANOTHER ONE FOR BYRON! #DAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/WMccqXXEgO
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 17, 2025
Byron began overtime running in ninth-place and found himself behind the duo of polesitter Chase Briscoe and Cole Custer as they were making a charge for the lead. However, an errant push from Briscoe would spin Custer, parting the seas for Byron to power to the front of the field.
The race would stay green to the finish, with Byron’s mirror full of Reddick’s Toyota, but he was able to hold strong to the finish to once again claim the Harley J. Earl Trophy.
With the win, Byron takes over the record as the youngest driver to win back-to-back Daytona 500’s, which was previously held by Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman and four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon.
“I hope he breaks them all. I’m in full support of that,” Gordon quipped when asked about Byron breaking his record.
The win is also the 10th Daytona 500 for Hendrick Motorsports – a record among Cup Series teams.
Jimmie Johnson would finish the race in third-place, driving his own No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota, the best finish he has ever had driving his own equipment and best finish since his third-place result in his final full-time season in Cup in 2020.
Much like Byron, Johnson was in the right place at the right time to weave his way through the last lap crash to ascend to a podium finish.
“This feels incredible. I have emotions that I didn’t expect to have,” Johnson said.
“I’ve never been in this position as an owner, and it’s really opened up a different set of emotions, and the pride that I have in this result and the pride that I have in this company, now that we’re trying to achieve and the journey we’re on – I am so satisfied, so happy right now. Excited that we have two cars in the top five.
“I hope Shaq is watching. Thank you, buddy. We got your car in the top-three. A big thanks to Carvana and their continued support, Mobil 1, AdventHealth, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree. It’s been an interesting couple of years and to have our cars come out and be this strong, this Toyota was rocket ship fast. I’m just smiling inside and out.”
Even after the push that triggered the final wreck, Briscoe would come home in fourth-place in his Joe Gibbs Racing debut, while John Hunter Nemechek rounded out the top-five to give Legacy Motor Club another strong result.
Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney, and Austin Cindric would finish sixth through eighth in the final rundown.
Justin Allgaier delivered a ninth-place finish in the Cup Series debut for JR Motorsports, with Chris Buescher rounding out the top-10 finishers.
Penske Pain
For the majority of the race, it appeared that it would be a Team Penske kind of day, with all three of its drivers combining to lead 125 laps, but with 13 laps to go, things began to unravel for the team.
Joey Logano, who had rebounded from mechanical issues and was making a run toward the front of the field, triggered an eight-car crash that included his Penske teammate Blaney, along with Kyle Busch and others.
Big trouble on the backstretch!
Blaney, Busch, Logano and Elliott are all among those involved! #DAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/AqhWkOQahb
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 17, 2025
“From my perspective, I felt like to win the race I had to get to the second row in my line there,” Logano said. “I was in third and needed to get to second. I saw the opportunity to drop down and get underneath the [number] 47 and have the [number] 4, another Ford, behind me.
“Then the 47 threw a late block there. I checked up for it and it looked like he was going to go back up and grab the top lane so I went back in to try and close the gap again but he kept coming down.
“I am checking up but at that point the checkup has already happened behind me and everybody is all over each other. I can’t get out of it and then we made contact. It is unfortunate. We had a good Shell Pennzoil Mustang. We had a good car but just couldn’t get it done.”
Cindric was leading at the white flag, but found himself swept up in the last lap crash, dropping him to eighth at the finish and snatching away his chance of becoming a two-time Daytona 500 champion.
“I’m clearly disappointed,” Cindric said. “I mean, you take the white and you’re in the lead. I wish we had a better chance to bring that home for everyone at Discount Tire and Team Penske and Ford Performance. It was just an exceptional effort all the way through Speedweeks. There’s definitely a lot to review there, trying to figure out when I need to actually be leading, so just frustrating to be that close.”
Preece Flips Again
Once things were cleaned up from the Logano wreck, the field would have just eight laps remaining in regulation, with Corey LaJoie and Cindric occupying the top-two spots.
With the intensity ratcheted up to 11 and a win in the Daytona 500 on the line, the entire field was pushing for all its worth over the last handful of laps.
Heading down the backstretch with five laps remaining, Cole Custer turned Christopher Bell into the outside wall, turning him broadside in front of the entire pack steaming toward him and directly into the path of Ryan Preece’s No. 60 RFK Racing Ford.
Preece slammed into Bell’s car, which sent the front end of his machine skyward. After surfing on the hood of Erik Jones Toyota, Preece’s car caught enough air to blow over and flip into Turn 3 making heavy contact with the outside wall before coming to rest on all four wheels.
The incident was the second for Preece in that same area of the track after his vicious flip in August 2023 forced the removal of all of the grass that lined the inside of the backstretch.
He would climb from his car unscathed, but had some harsh words for the precarious position he has found himself in far too often.
“I don’t know if it’s the diffuser or what that makes these cars like a sheet of plywood when you walk out on a windy day, but when the car took off like that, all I could think about was my daughter,” said Preece.
“I’m lucky to walk away, but we’re really close to somebody not being able to. Very grateful. That sucks. That thing was fast…frustrating when you end your day like this.”
This view of Ryan Preece's car flipping. Goodness. pic.twitter.com/o1dFgsUBuz
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 17, 2025
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