William Byron drove the No. 24 Chevrolet to Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway on Monday night for his first career Daytona 500 win.
Byron avoided being involved in a wreck involving 18 cars on lap 192, which brought out the red flag. When the race restarted, he jumped right in front of Ross Chastain and took the win after a crash occurred behind him on the final lap.
When asked by FOX Sports’ Jamie Little what the Daytona 500 championship sounds like to him, he replied, “It sounds really good.” “… We’re very blessed and grateful for all the opportunities. We want to keep it going. We have a lot of proof this year. And this is a good start.”
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William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the Daytona 500 on February 19, 2024 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Chris Gracen/Getty Images)
“And the Daytona 500… it’s awesome!”
Byron is in his sixth season in the NASCAR Cup Series and took an unconventional path to reach the highest level of stock car racing. While most drivers start out early in life with go-karts or racing modified cars, Byron came through his iRacing.
“I started racing with iRacing, which is unique and very different from how other guys start racing,” Byron said in 2018, according to the Hendrick Motorsports website. I grew up in a racing family. ”
He said he was using the simulator at the time as a tool to hone his skills.
“It’s something you use to hone your skills at a higher level, rather than just picking up a controller and carrying on.”
He won more than 100 races as a teenager and quickly moved to Legends Racing at the age of 15, considered late for a driver. After racking up his 33 wins, he became the champion of his car Young Lions division. By 2014, he raced in Late Models for JR Motorsports and moved to the K&N Pro Series, where he won 15 times.
William Byron, 24, won the Daytona 500 on Monday by crossing the finish line despite a caution. Driving next to Byron is Alex Bowman. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
2024 Daytona 500: 18 cars involved in wreck with just a few laps left
Byron moved to the Truck Series in 2015 to race for Kyle Busch Motorsports and competed full-time in 2016. He finished fifth in the rankings that year.
He performed well in his Xfinity Series debut in 2017, winning three of four races at one point. He won the drivers’ championship and finished third in the final race of the season. Getting to the Cup Series was enough for him, and he never looked back.
Driving for Hendrick Motorsports, Byron put together an impressive 2023 season with six wins. However, he lost to Ryan Blaney and finished second to Kyle Larson, falling short in the Championship 4. Ross Chastain won.
Byron’s quest for a NASCAR championship is well underway.
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet, held the Harley J. Earle Trophy with Daytona International Speedway President Frank Kelleher after Byron won the Daytona 500 on Monday. (Chris Gracen/Getty Images)
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He earned Rookie of the Year honors in the K&N Pro Series East, Camping World Truck Series, Xfinity Series and Cup Series. Now you can add Harley J. Earl’s trophy to your cabinet.
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