William Byron wins Daytona 500 on Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — William Byron kicked off Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary season by ending a nine-year losing streak in the Daytona 500 to win the “Great American Race” on Monday. , which was delayed due to rain.

Byron went under the white flag, marking the start of the final lap, just as a crash occurred right behind him. The caution flag came out, causing confusion. Byron didn’t know if he was the official winner as he took one final lap of Daytona International Speedway.

“That was a long lap and a half,” Byron admitted. “My crew chief tried to talk, but he was really excited, so I thought, ‘Man, I hope he knows, because I don’t know if I won the race.'”

The last time a Hendrick driver won the Daytona 500 was Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2014. The 26-year-old driver from Charlotte, North Carolina, is the sixth driver to win this competition with Rick Hendrick. , the most successful owner in NASCAR history, who headed to victory lane on the 40th anniversary of his first Cup win.

“The first time we came here, we didn’t think we had anything to do here,” Hendricks acknowledged in victory lane. “We felt out of the league. Now here we are 40 years later. You couldn’t write a better script. Winning on the same day as the 40th anniversary is incredible.”

With its ninth victory in the Daytona 500, Hendrick Motorsports tied Petty Enterprises’ record for most victories in NASCAR history. placed the team tied with Petty Enterprises

The fourth caution of the race came about when Hendrick’s Alex Bowman hit Byron from behind, forcing Byron to tag Brad Keselowski and leading to a 23-vehicle pileup to bring out the red flag, which was out more than 15 minutes.

Byron was second when the race restarted with four laps remaining in the No. 24 Chevrolet and battled with Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain for first place. It was Byron who took the lead after a crash occurred behind them just as they crossed under the white flag marking the final lap.

Source: AP

2024-02-20 07:08:36
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