Hendrick Motorsports, the most decorated team in the history of NASCAR, had the best start they could hope for in their 40th season in the Cup series. Their young sensation, William Byron, secured his maiden race win at the Daytona 500 on Monday, as he was leading the race with teammate Alex Bowman closely behind him on the final caution.
The win marks HMS’s first triumph at the Daytona 500 in over a decade. Their last win came exactly ten years ago in 2014, thanks to NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. This also helped Byron to break his poor streak of DNFs at the Daytona 500, as he hadn’t finished a single 500-mile race at the Florida track in his Cup career.
Ironically, it was the first race in years where an HMS driver wasn’t on the pole and not even in the front row. Even Bowman, the all-time best qualifier at Daytona, couldn’t make it to the top 5. Byron had an impressive race where he showcased his skill and resilience as he kept his mind and car under control throughout the way to win.
He survived the big one that he triggered and Bowman with eight laps left in the race. Bowman pushed Byron a bit too much, and the No:24 Chevy lost its control a bit and made contact with Brad Keselowski, who got spun and collected over 20 cars. Byron could escape with no damage as he got control of the car as soon as he lost it. He also survived the final caution clash, which Bowman also triggered to keep the lead before caution was called.
Willaim Byron is over the moon after the Daytona 500
Byron, who came into NASCAR after a successful sim-racing career, sees the Daytona 500 win as a dream come true. His 11th race win in the Cup has sealed his spot as the guy to beat in the upcoming 2024 season and gives him the best redemption as he failed to win the championship last year despite scoring six race wins.
Although talking about his win, Byron pointed out that he feels blessed to be the guy who gave HMS their 40th-anniversary race win to the day. He promised to keep going, as he has a lot to prove in the 2024 season.
But so proud of this team, whole Axalta team, 40th anniversary to the day, on Monday. Just extremely blessed and thankful for all the opportunities, and we just want to keep it going. We have a lot to prove this year, and this is a good start, obviously.
Byron said, as reported by NASCAR.com.
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