William Byron Wins Daytona 500 Under Caution

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The goal was obvious to William Byron: put the No. 24 Chevrolet in victory lane in the 2024 Daytona 500 to launch Hendrick Motorsports' 40th anniversary season.

Mission accomplished, even if Byron had to complete an agonizing final lap under caution around Daytona International Speedway awaiting the winner to be declared. "Did we win it? Did we win it?" Byron kept asking over his radio.

The emotion he heard over his radio from crew chief Rudy Fugle confirmed Byron had just won the biggest race of his career.

"Well, no one told me. And Rudy was crying on the radio, so I was like 'Dude, I hope he's crying for good reason,'" Byron said. "I guess he was a ball of emotion there, and so I was like 'Did we actually win or not?'"

Byron snapped Hendrick Motorsports' nine-race Daytona 500 losing streak with a win Monday in the rain-delayed "Great American Race." He crossed under the white flag denoting the final lap at the exact moment a crash broke out behind him. The caution flag was thrown and he wasn't quite sure if he was the official winner as he circled Daytona one final time.

The last Hendrick driver to win the Daytona 500 was Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2014.

The ninth Daytona 500 win for Hendrick Motorsports tied the team with Petty Enterprises for most in NASCAR history.