The 2024 NASCAR season officially started on Monday afternoon, as William Byron secured a victory in an eventful Daytona 500.
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OFFICIAL: @WilliamByron was the leader at the time of caution.
He wins the 66th running of the #DAYTONA500! pic.twitter.com/PMIyF0TdVZ
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A leap into the history books! #DAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/Mbf3uzrgLo
Byron won his first Daytona 500 and his 11th career race in the NASCAR circuit. It also represented his first victory since Sep. 2023 at Texas Motor Speedway.
The Great American Race was originally scheduled for Sunday, although it was postponed due to a combination of rainfall on Saturday along with an inclement weather forecast for the following day.
Here are the results as well as a brief recap of the race.
William ByronAlex BowmanChristopher BellCorey LaJoie Bubba WallaceA.J. AllmendingerJohn Hunter NemecheckErik JonesNoah GragsonChase Briscoe
The race started off with a small wreck, as the fifth lap contained a crash. Harrison Burton got hit by John Hunter Nemechek after he was bumped by Brad Keselowski. Carson Hocevar and Jimmie Johnson were also involved.
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Early trouble. Harrison Burton takes a big hit. #NASCAR #DAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/AkfbtBYNe8
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Another look at what happened. #NASCAR #DAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/T11LKJOz2r
The middle of the race was mostly clean compared to past years, as Chase Elliot narrowly earned a victory in Stage 1. Stage 2 included another close finish, as a late-corner move from Ryan Blaney allowed him to move in front of teammate Austin Cindric to win the second stage.
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Ryan Blaney wins Stage 2! #NASCAR #DAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/gplARzQrAV
Fans were beginning to wonder if the “Big One” would occur as the race started to draw to a close, although it happened with eight laps remaining.
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The big one. #NASCAR #DAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/vXnqYcoMKI
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There’s trouble at the front of the field! #DAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/6wVECKKWY1
Alex Bowman gave a shove to his teammate Byron, who then bumped into Keselowski and spun him into the outside lane before multiple cars were collected. 18 total cars were involved and included drivers such as Blaney, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Joey Logano. Logano led for a race-high 45 laps before the crash.
Another wreck occurred just as Byron’s No. 24 car received the white flag, although it was determined that the lap was completed to give the 26-year-old the victory under caution.
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William Byron wins the Daytona 500! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/bmofJSB6k3
Byron’s triumph gave Hendrick Motorsports its first win in the Daytona 500 since Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2014.
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