DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — William Byron clinched his second consecutive victory at the Daytona 500, managing to navigate through a series of late-race crashes that eliminated several competitors, eventually leading him to the winner’s circle at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday night.

Starting from the ninth position in his No. 24 Chevrolet with just one lap remaining, Byron made history by becoming the first driver to win back-to-back Daytona 500s since Denny Hamlin achieved the feat in 2019 and 2020.

Byron capitalized on another collision that occurred on the final lap, as NASCAR opted not to deploy the caution flag and allowed the race to continue to its conclusion. This decision enabled Byron to perform a celebratory burnout at Daytona International Speedway once again.

The 27-year-old racer held his ground in the wake of two weather-related delays that accumulated to over three and a half hours. Notably, former President Donald Trump was on hand to witness the race’s conclusion in Florida, having earlier led the drivers on two laps around the track in his heavily fortified presidential vehicle, often referred to as “The Beast.”