"Impossible to keep him behind me": When Jeff Gordon stopped Dale Jr.’s advances to make NASCAR history

Hendrick Motorsports legend Jeff Gordon secured his third Daytona 500 victory in 2005, edging out Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kurt Busch in a thrilling battle to the checkered flag. At 33 years and 6 months, he made NASCAR history as the youngest driver to win the event three times.

The 47th edition of The Great American Race began with Matthew McConaughey delivering the iconic command. Dale Jarrett led the field to the green flag, while Gordon started 15th, ten spots behind Dale Jr. However, it was Tony Stewart who dominated the race, leading 107 laps in the 500-mile event.

Dale Jr., behind the wheel of the iconic #8 Budweiser Chevy, spent much of the race battling in the midfield but surged to the front in the closing laps. He was locked in a fierce battle with Stewart and Gordon for the lead when a caution with three laps to go set up a dramatic green-white-checker finish.

The #24 Hendrick Motorsports driver led the field on the restart, with Dale Jr. pushing him ahead of the pack. Kurt Busch then slotted between the two drivers, but Gordon held them off to take the checkered flag. The four-time champion was thrilled to outduel Dale Jr., who had won the event in 2004. During the Victory Lane interview (via NASCAR), Gordon reflected on his battle with the #8 Chevy driver:

"Let's not say I gave up, but I thought it was over. I mean he hadn't been anywhere all day long and all of a sudden he came out of nowhere. He pushed me so far down this front straightway when I was trying to take the lead away from Tony, I knew that it was going to be impossible to keep him behind me."

"The best thing that happened to me was Kurt Busch, I want to thank Kurt Busch, he got into me in the 150s but we talked earlier in the day and we knew everything was good. Him getting by that #8 car and getting in front of him, we just let the other guys to battle and I just kept him in my mirror. Oh my goodness, what an amazing day," Jeff Gordon added.

It marked Jeff Gordon's final Daytona 500 victory, cementing his place in an elite group of just six drivers to have won The Great American Race three or more times.

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William Byron won 2025 Daytona 500 to beat Jeff Gordon's record

The #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy returned to Victory Lane in the 2025 Daytona 500, with William Byron securing back-to-back wins. Two decades after Jeff Gordon's final Daytona 500 triumph, Byron made history as the youngest driver to win the event multiple times.

After the chaotic finish to the race, many parallels emerged between the 2005 and 2025 Daytona 500. In both races, the #24 Chevy found Victory Lane and Jimmie Johnson secured a top-five finish, this time in his #84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota.

Additionally, an Earnhardt-owned car finished in the top 10 in both races — Dale Jr. was classified third in 2005, while Justin Allgaier secured ninth for JR Motorsports in 2025. Moreover, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch, who finished 34th and 38th respectively in 2005, swapped positions in this year’s race.

William Byron is building his own legacy in the #24 Chevy, a car long synonymous with Jeff Gordon. With his latest triumph, the 27-year-old joins an elite group of 13 drivers who have won the Daytona 500 multiple times.