DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — William Byron will try to drive his way into NASCAR history Sunday when he attempts to become the first winner of three consecutive Daytona 500s.
He’ll have to do it in a backup Chevrolet after his preferred No. 24 was damaged in a qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway.
No big deal, though: Byron won his first Daytona 500 in 2024 in a Hendrick Motorsports backup car.
“We’ve won this race with a backup car, so I’m not super worried on that aspect,” Byron said. “But it does suck that you put a lot of work into the primary and you don’t get to race it.”
He will start 39th in the 41-car field in NASCAR’s season opener but isn’t concerned about being in the back of the pack. Byron was hardly dominant in winning the last two Daytona 500s — he led a total combined 14 laps in both victories — and his success has been rooted in being in the right place at the right time.
No driver in 67 previous Daytona 500s has won “The Great American Race” three years in a row. Richard Petty in 1975, Cale Yarborough in 1985, Sterling Marlin in 1996 and Denny Hamlin in 2021 all came up short.
“It’s hard. You’re going to need things to fall your way,” Hamlin said of Byron’s chances. “In 2021, I legit thought we were going to get (it). We led the most laps in that race, was really fast, but didn’t work out on the last pit sequence.
“There’s an element of fortune there that has to fall your way. Last year, he was fortunate on the last lap there, but if you put yourself in the top eight you can get fortunate at times. He puts himself in the top eight, which is what matters.”
Byron came from nowhere last year — he was ninth at the start of the final lap of overtime — when a monstrous wreck in front of him allowed Byron to squeeze through and snag the win after leading all of 10 laps the entire day.
He led only four laps in 2024 — and dropped as low as 34th during the race — but again was in position to pounce when it mattered. He navigated a last-lap scramble to take the lead right before a caution flag froze the field to win under yellow.
Luck? Maybe. But it takes skill to be able to capitalize when the opportunity arises.
“It just feels like I’ve been, at this track in particular, able to have some things go my way and also make good decisions in those moments that I had opportunities,” Byron said. “It’s a mix of being in the right place and then having those chances to make good decisions.”
His two-year run is a remarkable turnaround for Byron, who has only finished half of his 16 career starts at Daytona, crashing out eight times.
“I feel like for a while it was a joke; I couldn’t finish a race here,” Byron said. “My first six years, I couldn’t finish the race, but I was always in the mix. I think it’s kind of finally tipped the other way.”
Byron has five career victories at drafting tracks — two at Atlanta and three at Daytona (he won the summer race in 2020). But he thinks his ability to master the draft and navigate through traffic turned in his favor at Talladega, where he has five top-five finishes.
“I feel like we’ve had some things go our way, and then we’ve been good at the speedways. Really, it started at Talladega. I think we were better at Talladega for a while,” Byron said. “We weren’t finishing at Daytona, and once we figured out a way to finish the races at Daytona, it seemed like it started to go the other way.
“You just try to do the best job you can, learning the little nuances of the draft. I don’t think I’m the best at drafting at the moment. I think there’s still more to learn.”
Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, winner of a NASCAR-record 20 Daytona 500s, doesn’t believe Byron’s success at Daytona has been tied solely to luck. He noted that Byron has raced for the NASCAR championship the last three years and has racked up 16 career victories in the No. 24 Chevrolet.
“I don’t know if you can really luck into it. You’ve got to put yourself in position to do it,” Hendrick said. “William is probably underestimated as a plate racer; he’s one of the best out there. If you watch his way through traffic and the success he’s had, not just because he’s won the two Daytona’s back-to-back, because he’s been up there, he’s just getting more mature — not mature — more seasoned.”
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