William Byron steals second straight Daytona 500 victory

The 2025 NASCAR season kicked off with the 67th annual Daytona 500. The first race of the NASCAR season is the most popular in the entire sport.

Unfortunately, the 2025 edition of the race started off with a rain delay; however, fans who waited out the delay were witnesses to another absolute classic Daytona 500 finish.

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On the backstretch of Daytona International Speedway during the final lap, a multi-car crash led to Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron cruising to his second straight win in the big race.

The late wreck took out the top two drivers in Austin Cendric and Denny Hamlin, which led to a mad scramble that saw Byron take home the checkered flag.

Daytona is never a stranger to violent crashes, as early in the race, Ryan Preece went airborne in a crash that collected multiple cars.

Byron's win also secures him a spot in the NASCAR Playoffs, as the format rewards drivers with a postseason appearance as long as only 16 different drivers win a race.

Winning the Daytona 500 is a life-changing event, and it is now one that Byron has experienced on two different occasions.

The Daytona 500 also saw Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s company, JR Motorsports, field a car for the first time. JR Motorsports' Justin Allgaier would finish ninth in the race.

For those who may be new to the NASCAR world, not every race has destruction like the Daytona 500. However, emotions may not be any higher than what was seen this past Sunday.

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