Byron repeats victory in Daytona 500 after Over Time finish

William Byron became the first driver to win the Daytona 500 in consecutive years since Denny Hamlin in 2019-2020, crossing the finish line with a 0.113-second advantage over Tyler Reddick in a race that extended into overtime.

The race, affected by a delay of more than three hours due to rain and a presidential visit, featured multiple lead changes and several incidents that shaped the outcome. On the final lap, contact from Cole Custer on Denny Hamlin triggered a crash in the lead pack, opening the door for Byron to find the necessary space and move into first place.

“I knew I had to go high because I saw the bottom line was very unstable,” Byron explained. “It was about taking the opportunity and making the right decision.”

A finish with multiple crashes and lead changes

Throughout the race, 15 drivers took turns leading in 56 instances. Austin Cindric led the most laps with 59, followed by Joey Logano with 43. Byron led at five different points for a total of 10 laps.

The event also saw several incidents affecting key contenders. With 14 laps remaining, contact between Logano and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on the backstretch triggered a wreck that also involved Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Noah Gragson, and Todd Gilliland, among others.

Another decisive crash occurred on lap 196 when Christopher Bell was tapped by Custer, sending his car into the outside wall. Ryan Preece, trying to avoid the wreck, ended up flipping before his car landed back on all four wheels.

“When the car took off, the only thing I thought about was my daughter,” Preece said after walking away uninjured.

Results and team performance

The top 5 was completed by Reddick in second place, Jimmie Johnson in third, Chase Briscoe in fourth, and John Hunter Nemechek in fifth. Legacy Motor Club managed to place two cars in the top positions, a positive result for the team in its first season with Toyota.

Further down, Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, Justin Allgaier, and Chris Buescher rounded out the top ten. Allgaier secured a strong result in his Cup Series debut with JR Motorsports.

The event, which recorded an average speed of 129.159 mph, concluded after eight caution flags and 47 laps under yellow. With this result, Byron starts the season with a key victory and positions himself as a strong contender for the rest of the year.

Results – Daytona 500 (2025)

Posición	Piloto	Auto	Vueltas
1°	William Byron	Chevrolet	201
2°	Tyler Reddick	Toyota	201
3°	Jimmie Johnson	Toyota	201
4°	Chase Briscoe	Toyota	201
5°	John Hunter Nemechek	Toyota	201
6°	Alex Bowman	Chevrolet	201
7°	Ryan Blaney	Ford	201
8°	Austin Cindric	Ford	201
9°	Justin Allgaier	Chevrolet	201
10°	Chris Buescher	Ford	201
11°	Michael McDowell	Chevrolet	201
12°	Erik Jones	Toyota	201
13°	Daniel Suarez	Chevrolet	201
14°	Ty Dillon	Chevrolet	201
15°	Chase Elliott	Chevrolet	201
16°	Ty Gibbs	Toyota	201
17°	Riley Herbst	Toyota	201
18°	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Chevrolet	201
19°	Justin Haley	Chevrolet	201
20°	Kyle Larson	Chevrolet	201
21°	Cole Custer	Ford	201
22°	Corey LaJoie	Ford	201
23°	Austin Dillon	Chevrolet	201
24°	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	201
25°	Cody Ware	Ford	200
26°	Brad Keselowski	Ford	200
27°	Todd Gilliland	Ford	199
28°	Noah Gragson	Ford	198
29°	Bubba Wallace	Toyota	197
30°	Carson Hocevar	Chevrolet	196
31°	Christopher Bell	Toyota	195
32°	Ryan Preece	Ford	195
33°	Shane Van Gisbergen	Chevrolet	193
34°	Kyle Busch	Chevrolet	186
35°	Joey Logano	Ford	185
36°	Zane Smith	Ford	108
37°	Josh Berry	Ford	105
38°	Martin Truex Jr.	Toyota	71
39°	Helio Castroneves	Chevrolet	70
40°	Ross Chastain	Chevrolet	70
41°	AJ Allmendinger	Chevrolet	42