Twenty years after Jeff Gordon took a No. 24 adorned with flames to victory lane in the Daytona 500, William Byron took a No. 24 adorned with flames to victory lane in the Daytona 500.
After a last-lap melee ensued on the backstretch, Byron and runner-up Tyler Reddick slipped around the outside, with Byron pulling away to earn his second consecutive Daytona 500 victory.
The win locks Byron into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs as he attempts to earn a third consecutive trip to the Championship 4 at Phoenix.
Here are the major takeaways from the 67th running of the ‘Great American Race’.
Byron sneaks up on the field again
In similar fashion to his first Daytona 500 win in 2024, Byron was quietly in the mix all afternoon. He led laps early, and was the leader when the red flag was displayed for rain on lap 11. Byron remained a constant in the top-15 for much of the race, and when he saw an opportunity come about on the final lap, he took advantage of it. The best drivers are opportunistic, and both of Byron’s Daytona 500 victories have been a product of his opportunism.
Despite fast trio, Penske comes up short
Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric and Joey Logano put forth a valiant effort on Sunday, but not even leading 125 laps between them was enough to earn Roger Penske another Harley J. Earl trophy. Logano led 43 laps and won Stage 1, but suffered a mechanical issue that was the root of a lap 71 crash. He and Blaney were then involved in the lap 186 backstretch wreck, which ended Logano’s day with a 35th-place finish. Cindric had a chance to win the race on the final lap, but was slowed when the ‘Big One’ broke out. Blaney and Cindric still managed seventh and eighth-place finishes, respectivectively, but seventh and eighth are a long way from victory lane at Daytona.
Underdogs deserve their day in the sun
Corey LaJoie only finished in 22nd, but it was LaJoie who led the field to the green flag with just eight laps to go. LaJoie turned in a spirited performance to begin his limited 2025 schedule, as did LEGACY Motor Club co-owner Jimmie Johnson, who finished third. Other underdogs that shone in Daytona Beach include John Hunter Nemechek, (fifth) Justin Allgaier, (ninth) Michael McDowell, (11th) Erik Jones (12th) and Ty Dillon (14th).
The second race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season will be held at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 23. The Ambetter Health 400 will go green shortly after 3 p.m. ET, with coverage on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Daytona 500 results:
- William Byron
- Tyler Reddick
- Jimmie Johnson
- Tyler Reddick
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Alex Bowman
- Ryan Blaney
- Austin Cindric
- Justin Allgaier
- Chris Buescher
- Michael McDowell
- Erik Jones
- Daniel Suarez
- Ty Dillon
- Chase Elliott
- Ty Gibbs
- Riley Herbst
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Justin Haley
- Kyle Larson
- Cole Custer
- Corey LaJoie
- Austin Dillon
- Denny Hamlin
- Cody Ware
- Brad Keselowski
- Todd Gilliland
- Noah Gragson
- Bubba Wallace
- Â Carson Hocevar
- Christopher Bell
- Ryan Preece
- Shane van Gisbergen
- Kyle Busch
- Joey Logano
- Zane Smith
- Josh Berry
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Helio Castroneves
- Ross Chastain
- AJ Allmendinger
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