“It was good timing for sure”: William Byron looks back on final lap of his second Daytona 500 win

Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron clinched his second Harley J. Earl trophy, by avoiding the last lap wreck. The #24 Chevrolet driver returned to victory lane and credited his win to "good timing", with everything falling into place in a "perfect scenario".

On the final lap, leaders Austin Cindric and Denny Hamlin were dueling for the win. Haas Factory driver Cole Custer forced the leaders to go three wide just halfway through the lap and ended up wrecking the lead pack. Meanwhile, Byron running 9th on the final lap, sneaked through the wreckage and raced to the checkered flag defending his Daytona 500 victory.

Reflecting on the chaotic finish, the #24 Hendrick Motorsports driver said that after crossing the checkered flag, he was perplexed by how he managed to avoid the wreck. However, after watching the footage, things began to make more sense for him. As he moved to the third lane, he didn't check up when Custer moved low and kept the momentum forward.

Speaking to Bob Pockrass, the 27-year-old suggested that it was all about good timing that helped him navigate through the wreck. He said:

"It was pretty awesome, obviously, I made the move to go to the third lane and just expecting to get a run off of [Turn] four. Then to see the crash and be right up against the wall and get through, it was good timing for sure. But the way it all played out, I was in the gas, kind of going forward with momentum and that really propelled me past it." [0:15 onwards]

"Honestly, if I think I checked up, I think Reddick would have got to me and probably passed me. So the fact that we had forward momentum going, it was like the perfect scenario, we're almost clearing the wreck as it was happening, that was pretty awesome." he added.

William Byron has joined an elite club of 13 drivers, who have won the Great American Race twice. He is also the youngest multi-time Daytona 500 winner.

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William Byron compares his two Daytona 500 victories

William Byron lifts the Harley J. Earl Trophy in Mobil 1 Victory Lane, Sunday, February 16, 202,5 after winning the Daytona 500 - Source: Imagn

William Byron wasn't considered a contender for much of the race, as the Penske trio dominated the event. While his 2024 victory wasn’t a dominant one, he stayed in the lead pack for most of the race. In contrast, he didn't show any flashes of race-winning speed in this year's event.

Contrasting his two Daytona 500 victories, the #24 Chevy driver said in a press conference:

"Last year was kind of the opposite. We were always up front, and this year just wasn't that way. I felt like for us we were trying to stay positive, and I felt like each restart there at the end we were still optimistic about our chances to get forward." [via SpeedwayDigest.com]

Byron stressed that clinching back-to-back victories wasn't all about pure luck, but involved a lot of teamwork. He said that a mix of fortune and teamwork helped him defend his victory.

"Definitely fortunate but definitely a lot of teamwork," Byron added.

Following Denny Hamlin's consecutive Daytona 500 triumphs in 2019-20, William Byron became the latest driver to accomplish the feat.