William Byron wins second Daytona 500 in a row

William Byron, driver for Hendrick Motorsports, achieved an impressive milestone by winning the Daytona 500 for the second consecutive time, becoming the first driver to do so since Denny Hamlin in 2020. The young driver avoided a massive last-lap accident involving several competitors, positioning himself to celebrate his victory in The Great American Race.

Last-lap crash changes fate of race

Cole Custer crashed into Denny Hamlin which set off a chain-reaction accident and changed the dynamics of the race. Austin Dillon, Alex Bowman, Corey LaJoie and Chase Briscoe were also affected by the crash.

Byron was in the ninth position when the final lap began, but showed his cunning by swerving his No. 24 Chevrolet to avoid the massive crash. The outcome allowed Byron to cross the finish line first, securing his second consecutive victory at Daytona.

Tyler Reddick finished second, followed by Jimmie Johnson. Chase Briscoe and John Hunter Nemechek completed the top five.

Major accidents

A hard crash by Ryan Preece on Lap 197, which flipped his car, generated a yellow flag. In addition, an accident on lap 186 involved several competitors, including Penske drivers Blaney and Joey Logano, who were eliminated from contention.

Next race: Atlanta Motor Speedway

The next stop for the NASCAR Cup Series will be at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, February 23 at 3:00 p. m. ET.