DAYTONA BEACH – History is made in the opening week of NASCAR racing as William Byron not only becomes a back-to-back champion of The Great American Race, but also hands Hendrick Motorsports their 10th Daytona 500 title, the most of any team in NASCAR.
A week full of mystery, chaos, and pageantry set the stage for the 67th running of the prestigious Daytona 500. The annual NASCAR season opener at Daytona consistently invites the nerves of the biggest race of the year alongside the freshness of a new chapter in one’s career. Since practice and qualifying on Wednesday, drivers and teams have been tuning up to battle for 500 miles on the 2.5-mile high-banked oval in Daytona Beach.
Secret Service members monitored the grounds of a sunny evening, awaiting the arrival of President Donald Trump in the early afternoon. Over 100,000 filled the grounds in a tenth straight sellout as Pitbull performed for the crowd, Captain America Anthony Mackie performed the command to fire engines, President Trump made his way to pit road and chatted with drivers and team owners, and the United States Air Force Thunderbirds performed aviation aerobatics in the skies just above the speedway grounds.
“From the roar of the engines on the track to the echo of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ soaring through the stands, the Daytona 500 is a timeless tribute to the speed, strength, and unyielding spirit that make America great.” –President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/6WRt8WtM0u
— President Donald J. Trump (@POTUS) February 17, 2025
Mother Nature attempted to dampen the day on two occasions, totaling over four hours of delay where drivers twiddled their thumbs with angst to return to the car. Once the drivers returned to the track, the 500 miles clicked off at a rapid pace. A pair of frightening incidents created an Overtime finish, preceding a last-lap wreck that created a mad dash to the finish line.
Byron crossed the line just 0.113 seconds ahead of Tyler Reddick to once again take home the Harley J. Earl Trophy.
BACK TO BACK DAYTONA 500 CHAMPIONS!!! pic.twitter.com/yF4feqvYmD
— William Byron (@WilliamByron) February 17, 2025
“Yeah, obviously some good fortune, but just trusted my instincts on the last lap there,” Byron said after climbing from his car. “I felt like they were getting squirrelly on the bottom, and I was honestly going to go third (top) lane regardless because I was probably sixth coming down the back.
“Just obviously fortunate that it worked out in our favor. But just really proud of this team. Worked super hard all week and had an amazing car. Just had a really hard time with the fuel-saving and kind of staying towards the front.
“Crazy. I can’t honestly believe that. But we’re here. So proud of it.”
BACK TO BACK, YOU’RE A 2X #DAYTONA500 CHAMPION @WilliamByron! pic.twitter.com/MHRV7x5rTE
— Daytona International Speedway (@DAYTONA) February 17, 2025
This marks the 27-year-old’s 14th career NASCAR Cup Series victory and second Daytona 500 title. Byron joins Rare Air as just the 13th driver to win multiple times in The Great American Race and joins Richard Petty (1973, 1974), Cale Yarborough (1983, 1984), Sterling Marlin (1994, 1995), and Denny Hamlin (2019, 2020) as the only drivers to win the legendary race in back-to-back years.
Tyler Reddick finished in the second position at the line, Legacy Motor Club owner and seven-time NASCAR Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson finished third, pole winner Chase Briscoe was fourth, and John Hunter Nemechek rounded out the top five. Tucson’s Alex Bowman collected a sixth-place finish while Glendale native Michael McDowell finished 11th and collected on championship bonus point by clocking in the fastest lap of the race.
Worth the wait 😍 #DAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/GQuqT6UxCx
— Goodyear Blimp (@GoodyearBlimp) February 16, 2025
Intense three-wide action throughout the race produced 56 lead changes among 15 drivers. Byron led five times for a total of just 10 laps. The race tallied eight cautions, only five of those for on-track incidents, for 47 laps.
NASCAR returns to Phoenix Raceway for the Shriners Children’s 500 weekend March 7-9, tickets are still available for all three days of action. Plus, NASCAR Championship Weekend returns to Phoenix Raceway to crown four champions in three days October 31 – November 2.
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Devon Henry
Arizona native, Devon Henry, joined the Sports360AZ crew in 2018 after graduating from Arizona State's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication. Devon has avidly partaken in coverage of the Arizona high school sports scene since 2013 and has covered NASCAR and INDYCAR at Phoenix Raceway since 2017. Devon is also a play-by-play announcer, calling over a dozen different sports and hundreds of events.