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Like Houdini making an unlikely escape from a straitjacket, William Byron trusted his instincts and emerged from a smoky last-lap wreck on the backstretch at Daytona International Speedway to win t…
At the Daytona International Speedway, William Byron won the Daytona 500 for the second consecutive time by skillfully maneuvering through a last-lap wreck caused by Cole Custer. Byron narrowly beat Tyler Reddick to take the checkered flag in overtime, becoming the first back-to-back winner since Denny Hamlin in 2019 and 2020. Byron praised his team’s hard work and performance after claiming his third victory at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Despite the challenging fuel-saving efforts, he aims to maintain his momentum and compete for more wins throughout the NASCAR Cup Series season. The wreck that ended the race in overtime disappointed Hamlin and Austin Cindric, who led most of the laps but couldn’t secure the win due to the incident. Cindric was frustrated but acknowledged his team’s strong showing during Speedweeks, while Hamlin expressed his disappointment at the crash that cost him the lead.
