William Byron powered through multiple late-race crashes and weather delays to capture his second consecutive Daytona 500 victory Sunday night, becoming the first driver since Denny Hamlin (2019-20) to achieve this feat. The win marked a historic moment for Hendrick Motorsports, breaking a tie with Petty Enterprises to secure their record-breaking 10th Daytona 500 victory.

The 27-year-old Byron, who started ninth in the final lap, navigated through chaos as several contenders were eliminated in a series of dramatic wrecks. NASCAR’s decision to let the race continue without a caution on the final lap proved crucial to Byron’s victory in the No. 24 Chevrolet.

The race, witnessed by President Donald Trump who earlier led drivers around the track in “The Beast,” his armored presidential limousine, endured two weather delays totaling more than 3½ hours. “Just obviously fortunate it worked out in our favor,” Byron said after the race. “Crazy? Yeah. I can’t honestly believe that, but we’re here.”

The closing laps featured intense drama, including a spectacular crash involving Ryan Preece, whose No. 60 Ford flipped onto its roof before landing back on its wheels. Another significant wreck eliminated several championship contenders when Logano moved to the middle and Stenhouse attempted to block him, triggering a chain reaction that collected former Cup champions Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott. The incident extended Busch’s winless streak at “The Great American Race” to 0-for-20.

Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez, and Brad Keselowski all saw their chances at victory spoiled in the late-race mayhem. Tyler Reddick claimed second place, while seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson rounded out the podium in third.