Charlotte native William Byron wins his second straight Daytona 500 after late wrecks

William Byron did it again.

The 27-year-old Charlottean won the Daytona 500 for the second straight year, becoming the fifth NASCAR driver to win the Cup Series’ biggest race in back-to-back seasons.

There were several big wrecks during the final laps of this year’s Great American Race, most of which was delayed until Sunday evening due to rain. The day started with a visit from President Donald Trump early in the afternoon, and a red flag lasted for three hours and 35 minutes before the race resumed around dusk.

It’s the 14th career trip to Victory Lane in a Cup car for Byron, who becomes the youngest driver to win multiple Daytona 500 championships. He takes that title from Jeff Gordon, the victorious Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman who sat next to Byron in the Daytona International Speedway media center post-race, smiling ear to ear.

“I hope he breaks them all,” Gordon said, referring to his records Byron is racing toward. “I fully support that.”

Gordon also was asked about another impressive mark: HMS, with Sunday’s win, now has 10 Daytona 500 championships — the most of any NASCAR team all-time, one more than the now-defunct Petty Enterprises. Gordon said that was one of the first things Rick Hendrick said to him before the cars rolled out on the racetrack Sunday: “Let’s go get No. 10.”

“It’s really special,” Byron said of the win. “I’m not much of a historian — I’m in the midst of my career and just trying to continue to progress — but the ceremony they have here is really special, everything that we’re able to be a part of. And I think it’ll be just as special next year.

“Last year, I guess I was looking ahead really quickly at the rest of the season. This year, I’ll enjoy this race, and then we’ll get down the road.”

Byron got to the lead on the last lap of overtime — by virtue of the seas parting after a wreck from the front spawned by Cole Custer, sending Denny Hamlin spinning — and held off Tyler Reddick to claim the checkered flag once again.

Jimmie Johnson finished in third, Chase Briscoe fourth and John Hunter Nemechek fifth. Justin Allgaier, piloting the No. 40 Chevy for JR Motorsports, came in ninth to post a Top 10 finish in the first Cup Series start for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team.

“(Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports team) gave me everything I needed,” the winning driver of the orange No. 24 car said. “I kept getting more pissed off as the race went on because I wasn’t taking advantage of it. I’m sure they’ll bring me a great car next year, and we’ll try and go after it.”

Rudy Fugle, Byron’s crew chief, reflected on the special win.

“Yeah, I think this is our 20th win together, so that’s pretty amazing if you count them all together,” he said. “It’s special just because of our relationship and our trust in each other and how we respect each other and grow. We don’t get stale. We’re not afraid to talk to each other and get through things. That is just a mutual respect to be mature and get through things.

“Then personally, last year that win brought me to tears. And then this win, it brought me to laughter is what I said just because — I looked up and we’re getting ready to win, and it was just amazing. Here we were. Two totally different emotions.”

Fugle added: “If we build a good enough team, things like this happen more times than not, and that’s what we’ve been working on. It’ll hopefully just become easier and easier as we go.”

See below for official race results and lap-by-lap highlights of Sunday’s thrilling race.

Official results from the Daytona 500

Postrace inspection was completed in the wee hours of Monday morning. All clear; no issues. NASCAR announced that the No. 9 car, the No. 2 car, the No. 19 car and the No. 99 will return to the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord for an engine dyno, and the 19 and 2 will be inspected.

Lap-by-lap updates from the 2025 Daytona 500

FINAL STAGE

Lap 201: William Byron wins the Daytona 500!!!! The Charlottean emerges during the back half of the final lap after Cole Custer, Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric all made contact.

Lap 199: Green for NASCAR overtime!

Lap 196: Ryan Preece gets into the air and flips upside down at Daytona once again. The No. 60 RFK Racing Ford got on top of Erik Jones and went airborne entering Turn 3. Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Daniel Suárez, Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott and Justin Allgaier also have damage. Red flag is out.

Lap 195: Denny Hamlin moves into the race lead! Christopher Bell gets to the front of the pack, putting the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates side-by-side at the front of the field with five laps to go.

Lap 193: Austin Cindric gets back into the lead, and Denny Hamlin is pushing from P2. Christopher Bell is up to third, Riley Herbst fourth and Corey LaJoie fifth.

Lap 192: Corey LaJoie, piloting the No. 01 part-time entry for Rick Ware Racing, is at the front of the pack as we come back to green with eight laps to go in regulation.

Lap 184: There’s the BIG ONE! Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made contact with Joey Logano as the No. 22 was trying to get to the middle, and that sends Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney and numerous others spinning. Noah Gragson, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Todd Gilliland and Cole Custer among those collected.

Lap 183: Corey LaJoie moves up into P2, battling Ryan Blaney.

Lap 179: Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Christopher Bell, Riley Herbst, Noah Gragson and Alex Bowman run single-file on the inside lane. Corey LaJoie has made it into the Top 10 as he leads the middle lane, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is making a run behind him.

Lap 172: Austin Cindric leads Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch — who is being told to save fuel, as the No. 8 car’s tank is short.

Lap 168: Austin Cindric leads Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon and Christopher Bell on the inside line, while Bubba Wallace is still in front of the field from the outside.

Lap 166: Bubba Wallace gets back out into the race lead, as William Byron pushes from behind him and Austin Cindric comes up from the inside. Ryan Blaney gets right back into the Top Five, as does Kyle Busch.

Lap 163: Pit road is open, and all lead lap cars stop for fuel. Austin Cindric wins the race off pit road. Jimmie Johnson lost several positions after getting blocked coming onto pit road.

Lap 161: Caution is out for debris.

Lap 160: Continuing to see three-wide racing in rows at the front of the pack, led by Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney and William Byron battling for the race lead.

Lap 153: Bubba Wallace is the leader with under a quarter of the race left. Ryan Blaney is close, as is Chase Elliott, and William Byron is surging from the inside lane. Your Top 10: Wallace, Blaney, Elliott, Byron, Austin Cindric, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe.

Lap 146: Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace and Kyle Busch go three-wide for the lead once again!

Lap 139: Bubba Wallace moves into the race lead! Ryan Blaney heads into the middle lane, while Kyle Busch goes low.

Lap 138: Green for the final stage! Ryan Blaney leads Kyle Busch, Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson and Austin Cindric.

Lap 131: Your point-getters following Stage 2: Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, Todd Gilliland, Chris Buescher, Erik Jones, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace and Kyle Busch.

STAGE 2

Lap 130: Ryan Blaney edges Austin Cindric to win Stage 2! The driver of the No. 12 Ford got by his teammate during the final lap and was pushed to the stage win by Chase Elliott. Joey Logano surged to a P8 finish after falling a lap down earlier in the stage.

Lap 125: Alex Bowman works all the way up from the inside and is making a run at Austin Cindric for the lead. Ryan Blaney has speed and is pushing Cindric, his Team Penske teammate.

Lap 122: Austin Cindric leads with inside of 10 laps left in the second stage. Ryan Blaney runs in P2, followed by Chase Elliott, Todd Gilliland and Riley Herbst.

Lap 114: Austin Cindric and Chase Elliott battle for the lead, with Cindric gaining an edge as Elliott runs behind him ahead of Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Daniel Suárez and Tyler Reddick.

Lap 100: Fords have been fast throughout the first half of the race. Ryan Preece leads. Your Top 10: Preece, Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott, Noah Gragson, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland.

Lap 93: Austin Cindric, Michael McDowell and Noah Gragson race three-wide for the lead!

Lap 87: Back to green! Michael McDowell, piloting the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevy this season, battles Austin Cindric for the lead.

Lap 85: All lead lap cars pit except Bubba Wallace, Cody Ware, Carson Hocevar and Jimmie Johnson. Austin Cindric wins the race off pit road.

Lap 83: Caution is out for debris in Turn 1.

Lap 82: Ross Chastain and Hélio Castroneves are out of the race following the crash, along with Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 80: Ryan Preece, now in the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford, passes Austin Cindric and moves into the lead. Noah Gragson, new pilot of the No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford, has climbed into P2.

Lap 76: Back to green! Ryan Blaney leads Austin Cindric, Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece as Fords run in the front of the pack.

Lap 75: Martin Truex Jr. is out of the race.

Lap 71: A big wreck on the restart! The cars of Ross Chastain, John Hunter Nemechek, Hélio Castroneves, Jimmie Johnson, Chase Briscoe, Justin Allgaier, Riley Herbst, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Cole Custer and Cody Ware are among those with damage after being collected in Turn 1. Take a look at what happened from that restart ... it looked like the front checked-up, causing an accordion effect at high speeds, and then Truex and company paid the price. The Big One (for now) below:

Lap 69: Kyle Busch and Justin Allgaier have been penalized and dropped to the rear of the field for crew members coming over the wall too soon.

STAGE 1

Lap 65: Stage 1 will conclude under yellow, meaning that Joey Logano will take the first Daytona 500 Stage 1 win of his decorated career. He led 38 of the race’s first 65 laps.

Lap 63: Caution after an accident in Turn 2. Denny Hamlin got hit from behind by Zane Smith, who appeared to slide up into Josh Berry. Austin Cindric has damage as well. Berry is done for the night.

Lap 55: Your Top 10 with 10 laps to go in the opening stage: Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, Todd Gilliland, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, William Byron, Alex Bowman and Denny Hamlin.

Lap 51: Joey Logano leads William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski at the front of the pack with 14 laps left in the stage. AJ Allmendinger is headed for the garage after a blown engine — and the driver of the No. 16 is officially done for the night.

Lap 42: Kyle Busch momentarily made it three-wide for the lead, but Joey Logano is holding him and William Byron off to maintain his lead. AJ Allmendinger just slowed down with an engine issue and went to pit road. The race stays green.

Lap 40: Chase Elliott surges to the front and passes Joey Logano to take over P1!

Lap 36: Joey Logano gets by Corey LaJoie to lead once again!

Lap 31: Some movement at the front of this pack as Corey LaJoie passes Joey Logano and William Byron to the become the new leader. LaJoie is now driving the No. 01 Ford part-time for Rick Ware Racing.

Lap 27: Joey Logano has jumped out into the race lead, followed by Charlottean and reigning Daytona 500 champion William Byron. Ty Dillon runs in third, pulling away from Chase Briscoe and Ross Chastain.

Lap 22: We’re back to green! Let’s go! Here’s your Top 10 as we at long last get back to real racing and Daytona International Speedway comes alive: Ryan Blaney, Zane Smith, Riley Herbst, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, William Byron, Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain and Ty Dillon.

YELLOW FLAG (AGAIN ... HOPEFULLY LAST ONE)

Lap 20, 6:16 p.m.: Engines have been re-fired, and cars are back on the racetrack, and the sun is setting but the skies are clear, and the radar looks good ... and ... well, let’s go!

RED FLAG (PT. 2)

Lap 20, 5:54 p.m.: Red flag again. Dang. Drivers hopping out of their cars. Brutal. Let’s hope this rain will be done soon. Talk about the highs and lows of a race day. The good news is that this break will be much shorter, according to local radar renderings. NASCAR over the radio informed drivers that this break will last “no more than 20 minutes.”

YELLOW FLAG

Lap 20, 5:52 p.m.: NASCAR control forces drivers back down pit lane, but they’ll stay in their cars, banking on the idea that the rain will quickly come and go.

Lap 16, 5:35 p.m.: Cars are running caution laps following the red flag that lasted three hours, nine minutes and 58 seconds. So racing is back! Many drivers were expected to pit for gas once we go green again ... and that’s what they did. Almost the entire field filed down pit road. Those who didn’t include Michael McDowell, who will now lead the group once the green flag drops. Radar looks like rain might be around the corner, but we’re getting going now and praying.

RED FLAG

5:31 p.m.: Engines have been re-fired, and cars are back on the track.

5:01 p.m.: Rain has cleared up significantly here, and pit crew members and drivers have been milling about pit road, readying themselves for the past 30 minutes or so. And ... some great news! Drivers will report to their cars at 5:25 p.m., NASCAR announced.

4:38 p.m.: Here’s the latest look at the radar we got, via Race Weather. Though we’re in the middle of a dry-ish spell, rain has still been spitting on the 500-acre property here at Daytona International Speedway. Radars don’t look super promising, either. NASCAR hasn’t given any indication it is thinking about racing Monday, so that’s good. But it might be more sitting-and-waiting.

3:46 p.m.: Track dryers have descended on the track as showers lighten up. Radars show that this isn’t the last of the rain, however. The precipitation will need to stop soon-ish — over the next three hours or so — if NASCAR wants to get this race in today. With the two hours required to get the track dry, that’ll get us started around 8:45 p.m., and with three-plus hours of racing to go ... that’s about the latest NASCAR will want to start before postponing to Monday. Remain hopeful, though, race fans!

3:13 p.m.: President Donald Trump has officially left the building. He departed the racetrack about 20 minutes ago, and the FOX broadcast just showed Air Force One taking off from Daytona Beach International Airport.

3 p.m.: No race update. But a weather one: Rain is still falling. The winds have picked up a bit, which is a good and bad thing. It’s good because once the rain stops, the track might be quicker to dry. It’s bad, well, because rain and wind tend to be an ugly mixture and often foreshadow some heavy storming. No lightning in the area, which is good, too. Another look at the radar below.

2:28 p.m.: Drivers are hopping out of their cars, bracing for a longer wait. The process for drying Daytona International Speedway’s 2.5-mile track typically takes two hours, though that all could be expedited depending on winds and a beaming sun. And that’s AFTER the rain stops. As always, we’ll pass along updates from NASCAR as they come.

2:17 p.m.: Red flag is out for rain. Cars are heading back to their pit stalls, and drivers are told to stay inside their cars for the moment. Per a NASCAR spokesperson, once the rain begins it’ll likely continue for “an extended amount of time,” before the track dryers can get back on the track. Per Race Weather, there’s lightning 45 miles away, and that “40-45 mph gusts are possible during the storms” — which are expected to be “on and off, then ON through the afternoon.” Not good.

Here’s another look at the radar:

STAGE 1

Lap 9 (2:14 p.m.): Rain has been reported between Turns 1 and 2, prompting the first caution. Just a yellow for now. No updates yet on if a red flag is coming. Keep it here. See the latest radar below. Of note, per NWS: “Gusty showers will impact Central Lake and Volusia Counties through 2:45 p.m. ET.”

Lap 4: Chase Briscoe, who started on the pole, got a good jump off the initial restart. Bubba Wallace and William Byron have already overtaken Austin Cindric, who started P2 but is settling into P4 right now. The drivers are settling in, working in the draft.

GREEN FLAG, 2:07 p.m.: Let’s go! Time to race.

2:06 p.m.: From the National Weather Service: “Gusty showers will impact Central Lake and Volusia Counties through 2:45 p.m. ET. ... HAZARD: Wind gusts up to 40 mph.” An updated look at the local radar below. (The rain could be coming soon, but the expectation is that it’ll cease around 4 p.m. or earlier, meaning there will be enough time to finish the race today.)

1:59 p.m.: Donald Trump has taken some pace laps, hopped on the FOX broadcast for an interview with Jamie Little (see below) and even gotten on the radio to wish the drivers good luck. The 47th President told the NASCAR Cup Series field, in part: “I’m a big fan. I’m a really big fan of you people. How you do this, I don’t know. But I just want you to be safe. You’re talented people. You’re great people. And great Americans. Have a good day, have a lot of fun, and I’ll see you later.”

1:53 p.m.: Cars are rolling off pit road.

1:46 p.m.: “Drivers! Start your engines!” Actor Anthony Mackie gives an electric command to get the engines fired. Racin’ soon.

1:35 p.m.: Invocation has been given and the national anthem has been performed! Getting closer to dropping the green flag for the Daytona 500.

1:14 p.m.: President Trump’s arrival hasn’t impacted NASCAR’s timing yet. However, his plane has just touched down in Daytona, so we’ll see what happens. As far as how his presence is impacting the rest of the race spectators/fans — with all the increased security necessary for such a visit — here’s a look at the gates.

1 p.m.: Here’s the minute-by-minute breakdown of what will happen in terms of timing. (Yes, NASCAR released that the race will start at 1:30 p.m. ET, but you know, there are prerace ceremonies to get to, etc.) Per NASCAR, here’s the schedule: Invocation (1:32 p.m.), national anthem (1:33 p.m.), command (1:45 p.m.), green flag (2 p.m.).

12:45 p.m.: Let’s check in on the radar and see how it’ll intersect with NASCAR’s schedule today. Here’s the latest we got: The updated local forecast shows that rain is expected to start between 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET, lasting up to two hours. There will be 10-15 mile-per-hour winds, which could help with track drying but will almost indubitably impact the racing. Check out the radar below.

12:35 p.m.: NASCAR’s updated list of cars sent to the rear: Helio Castroneves (engine failure); Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Corey LaJoie, Riley Herbst, Alex Bowman, Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suarez, Shane van Gisbergen (backup car); Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (multiple inspection failures).

11:30 a.m.: Some star power has come through the Daytona 500 media center this morning and taken some photo opportunities with the famous Harley J. Earl Trophy. Alan Ritchson, of Reacher and Blue Mountain State and Hunger Games, came in. So did Anthony Mackie, who fielded questions mostly about his NASCAR fandom (he grew up a big fan) and also about his role as Captain America. By the way, the Pitbull prerace concert just started, too.

10:43 a.m.: The White House has released the president’s schedule for the day, according to media reports. Looks like he’ll be at the racetrack for two hours, weather pending. Here’s what it looks like: 11:30 a.m., he’ll depart Mar-a-Lago for Palm Beach International Airport; he’ll arrive at Daytona Beach International Airport at 1:05 p.m. and get to the track at 1:10 p.m.; and then he’ll depart the racetrack at 3:05 p.m.

9 a.m.: We’ve made it to race day! Step one, check. Step two? Let’s make sure you know the timing of today’s Daytona 500. On Friday, NASCAR announced that the 67th running of the Great American Race will be moved up an hour — to 1:30 p.m. ET — due to the threat of rain. For the fans who are actually hitting the track: Gates opened at 9 a.m.; the FanZone opened at 8:30 a.m., and parking lots opened at 6 a.m. The drivers meeting is now at 12:30 p.m., and driver introductions will begin thereafter (1:05 p.m.).

A closer look at the radar: Forecasts via The Weather Channel say that there’s an 82% chance of rainfall at Daytona International Speedway today. The service’s radar shows that it’s gonna be tough for this racetrack to avoid rain at least at some point today. So brace yourself for a mid-race delay. Showers will start coming down around 2 p.m., and it doesn’t look like it’ll relent until around 4:30 p.m. But we’ll keep you updated here.

Daytona is expecting to host the President: Expect enhanced security at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday. Why? NASCAR expects President Donald Trump to visit the racetrack. The 47th POTUS last descended on a Cup Series race when he came by the Coca-Cola 600 in 2024. His vice president, JD Vance, visited Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Roval in October. Trump visited the Daytona 500 in 2020. He was the second sitting president to do so; George W. Bush did so in 2004. When Trump was here last, he laid down a few pace laps prior to the race going green. Trump became the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl last week.

Some catch-up reading: Kyle Busch is trying to get his Dale Earnhardt moment; several Cup drivers are trying to find their home; the NASCAR-vs-Michael Jordan lawsuit takes another turn; Jimmie Johnson qualifies for the Daytona 500 as a driver; Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualifies for the race as an owner; and of course there was plenty of drama in the Truck Series race Friday and the Xfinity Series race Saturday.

This story was originally published February 16, 2025 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Charlotte native William Byron wins his second straight Daytona 500 after late wrecks."

Shane Connuck

The Charlotte Observer

Shane Connuck is a former journalist for The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow

The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22. Support my work with a digital subscription