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Byron looks to become sixth to sweep Daytona Cup Series races
NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron. Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

William Byron looks to become just sixth driver to sweep Daytona Cup Series races

In the 65-year history of the Daytona International Speedway, only five drivers have ever won both the Daytona 500 and the Firecracker 400 in the same year. 

The list of the men who have done so reads off like a Hall of Fame ballot: Jimmie Johnson, Bobby Allison, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Cale Yarborough and Fireball Roberts. 

William Byron, who narrowly won the Daytona 500 in February, now has the chance to add his name to the list of drivers who have accomplished the feat. 

Byron's road to victory on Saturday will be slightly easier than it was in February — Byron will start seventh on Saturday compared to an 18th-place starting spot for the Daytona 500 — but that doesn't mean it'll be smooth sailing for Byron and the No. 24 team. 

Superspeedway racing is always chaotic, and Byron was caught right in the middle of the chaos en route to his Daytona 500 win in February. "The Big One" happened right in front of him on the backstretch, and it was a late-race restart that ultimately decided the Great American Race. 

Byron may have a shiny Daytona 500 ring to show off, but lest we forget that he earned the first win of his Cup Series career at Daytona in the summer of 2020.

Byron had to earn that win under an immense amount of pressure while trying to make the Cup Series playoffs, but with a playoff berth firmly secured this year, he's free to leave everything on the line in an attempt to make Daytona history. 

The Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona will go green shortly after 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, with coverage provided on NBC, Peacock, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. 

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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