'Things always have a reason': William Byron reflects on breaking Jeff Gordon’s Daytona 500 record

William Byron had a tough Sunday (February 16) at Daytona Beach, Florida. After starting fifth (for his second place in Qualifier Duel #1), he bounced back and forth, battling harsh weather conditions, yellow flags, and hectic crashes. He came in 10th after Stage 1 and missed the top 10 altogether after the end of Stage 2.

Finally, after it all cleared and the final laps were run, Byron found himself P9 at the backstretch of the final one. Then, in the blink of an eye, the three leaders, Denny Hamlin, Cole Custer, and Austin Cindric stumbled and Byron managed to slip through the chaos in the first place. He battled fiercely with Tyler Reddick for the last quarter-mile but crossed the finish line in front.

After the race, his second Daytona 500 back-to-back, William Byron talked to Shannon Spake, NASCAR reporter for FanDuel Sports Network. During the interview, she asked him how it felt to break Jeff Gordon's record for the youngest driver to win the race multiple times.

Byron reflected upon the record-breaking race he had on Sunday and what it meant for him to take the victory lane in #24:

"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 fueled me all week," William Byron told NASCAR reporter Shannon Spake.

Jeff Gordon, one of NASCAR's biggest names in recent history, won the Cup Series Championship an astonishing four times (1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001), and amassed 93 total victories, a record in itself. He won The Great American Race twice in a row at the age of 27 and a half, whereas Byron achieved the feat at 27 and two months.

The victory also meant a big deal for Hendrick Motorsports, as they now own the record for most wins in the Daytona 500, with 10. This was a tie-breaker with Petty Enterprises, and it now means that Rick Hendrick's team now owns the record for most wins at all four of the NASCAR Cup Series "majors": Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500, Brickyard 400, Daytona 500.

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William Byron takes the checkered flag after a seemingly unending race

On Sunday, the Daytona 500 held its 67th edition, and it was a lengthy one: with a starting time of 1:30ET and checkered flag at 8:30ET, fans endured a 7-hour event that included almost 4.5 hours of total rain delay, and multiple multi-car incidents.

The seemingly unending race also made it extremely difficult for the drivers to concentrate and therefore it turned out to be a way bigger challenge than anticipated.

Up next, Byron and the rest of the drivers will take on Atlanta Motor Speedway, on Sunday, February 23. The Qualifying stages begin on Friday.