Winning the Daytona 500 can change your career. They might not remember who won the spring race at Kansas Speedway, but they’ll always remember who crossed the checkered line on the opening race of the season. This year, that driver was William Byron.
Byron was in the right place at the right time, leading the field when a caution brought out the yellow flag as the white flag was waving. In that moment, as Jeff Gordon, whom Byron supplanted in the iconic No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, said, Byron hit a new level of superstardom.
“It’s so cool what this is going to do for this team, for all of our partners and William Byron,” Gordon, the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, told FOX Sports after Byron’s victory. “He was already a superstar. He just went to another level of being a superstar. I wasn’t driving the car, but I feel like I was making every lap with him out there. It’s just crazy to watch these guys do what they do and do it so well, and to watch them from this side of it, it makes me so happy, so proud.
“We’re going to celebrate. This is an amazing win, huge win.”
William Byron adds Daytona 500 winner to impressive résumé
Byron, 26, officially arrived as one of the NASCAR Cup Series’ best in 2023, winning a circuit high six races and finishing fourth in final points standings. If there were any doubters even after his career season, there’s none now, as Byron will forever be associated with the greats to win the Daytona 500.
Byron only led four laps all race long, but it was the final four laps, the four most important laps, after coming out unscathed in a pair of big wrecks within the final 10 laps. One of those “big ones” came as Byron was getting ready to take the white flag. Ross Chastain, riding behind Byron on the outside line, looked to split Byron and Austin Cindric, who was leading the inside line. Chastain and Cindric made contact, sending Chastain sliding into the infield grass.
NASCAR ruled that Byron took the white flag before the caution flag came out, giving him the win. Alex Bowman, Byron’s teammate, finished second. Christopher Bell, Corey LaJoie and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top-five.
“Just so proud of this team, whole Axalta team,” Byron said after the race. “40th anniversary, to the day [of Hendrick Motorsports’ first race] on Monday. Just extremely blessed and thankful for all the opportunities, and now we just want to keep it going. We have a lot to prove this year, and this is a good start. Obviously, Daytona 500, it’s freaking awesome.”
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