William Byron helped trigger a 23-car wreck before winning the biggest race of his young NASCAR career on a significant anniversary for team owner Rick Hendrick
CHARLES BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHY
DAYTONA 500
William Byron had never finished in the top 10 of the Daytona 500 before Monday’s belated race. But 40 years to the day since his team owner Rick Hendrick’s squad entered its first NASCAR race at Daytona, he headed to Victory Lane after a wild 200 laps that boasted 41 lead changes.
Twenty-six hours later than originally planned due to rain, the 40-car entry was led to the green flag on Monday afternoon by polewinner Joey Logano, who had given his legendary team owner Roger Penske his first-ever Daytona 500 pole (see panel, p21).
As with so many rain-delayed races, it didn’t take long for the first wreck to happen, as ambition outweighed patience. Coming to the end of lap five, Brad Keselowski wasn’t lined up straight when he pushed John Hunter Nemechek off Turn 4. A sideways Nemechek clipped Harrison Burton, who connected firmly with Carson Hocevar. Locked together and out of control, Burton and Hocevar careered through the soaked infield grass, rejoining the track in the tri-oval at high speed. Burton collected Kaz Grala, Ryan Preece and Austin Dillon, while seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson couldn’t avoid slamming into Hocevar.
After most of the field pitted to top up fuel under caution, and with eyes on the first stage break when points were awarded at lap 65, the race restarted with the Toyota of Christopher Bell leading reigning Cup champion Ryan Blaney’s Ford, both having gambled on not pitting. They subsequently towed around a pack that was delighted to save fuel in their wake, some drivers using as little as half throttle at times in the powerful draft. In response, the leaders slowed their pace too, so the next 30 laps resembled a leisurely stage of the Tour de France bicycle race.
Blaney and Bell then realised they had nothing to gain in this scenario, and put the hammer down, which encouraged a race to break out once more. The other aspect in play was manufacturer and team allegiance, and the three Penske Fords of Logano, Blaney and Austin Cindric moved to the front and then pitted early, with 25 laps until the first stage break. Blaney required a longer pitstop to fill his tank and was hugely miffed that Logano and Cindric didn’t wait for him, and with no draf
