“I’m finally comfortable in the 24 car”: William Byron comes clean to Michael Waltrip after breaking Jeff Gordon’s historic Daytona 500 record 

William Byron headlined the 2025 Daytona 500 weekend by becoming the youngest-ever driver to win the Great American Race multiple times. He beat NASCAR legend and his boss Jeff Gordon's record.

Byron, a 14-time Cup Series race winner, debuted with Hendrick Motorsports in 2018, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet after lifting his Xfinity Series title with JR Motorsports. The Charlotte native joined the winningest organization and took the reins of the iconic HMS car, which was made famous by four-time Cup Series champion and three-time Daytona 500 winner Gordon.

In a recent video posted by Fox Sports on X, the 27-year-old sat down in a conversation with a fellow two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip, and reminisced about the season-inaugural race at Daytona International Speedway. Byron said:

"I don't know how your experience was, but for me, driving into Daytona, I was really happy about being there. In the past, it's been skepticism, where it's been like, hey, I don't know what can happen. And I honestly think that that joy that I had, driving in the racetrack, is what carried us all the way through the week."

The HMS driver was then asked about his thoughts on breaking the record of NASCAR Hall of Famer Gordon, who serves as the vice chairman of the Rick Hendrick-owned organization.

"It's special," Byron added. "I feel like I'm finally comfortable in the 24 car. Like I'm finally comfortable in that car with him as one of my bosses. Like I'm ready to just keep racing. I just want to keep doing it for my team. And he's in full support of that. It's been pretty special."

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William Byron opens up on what it meant to win at the Daytona 500: "Things always happen for a reason"

William Byron made the most of the situation when the frontrunners Denny Hamlin and Austin Cindric were wrecked out on the final lap of a 500-mile-long race at Daytona International Speedway. Byron, who only expected a top-10 finish, managed to maneuver the No. 24 car through the multi-car chaos and wheel into the victory lane.

Speaking with journalist Shanon Spake, Byron opened up on making a historic feat by winning the Daytona 500 back-to-back in the famed #24 car.

"I just think about how things always have a reason and happen for a reason. I feel like just seeing that race yesterday—we talked about it on the grid—but how cool it would be to pull into victory lane with that car because it looks so... it was like a new version of what the #24 has always been with the flames...that fuelled me all week," he said.

With two superspeedway races in the books for the 2025 season, the NASCAR Cup Series will head to the road course race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on Sunday, March 2.