DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Daytona International Speedway finally returned its loaner car to team leader Rick Hendrick on Sunday, giving the No. 24 Chevrolet that William Byron drove to victory in the 2024 Daytona 500 back to its rightful owner after a year of ceremonial display. The 75-year-old automotive mogul mused about what was at stake later that day — a 10th win in the 500, which would put Hendrick Motorsports one ahead of Petty Enterprises atop the all-time record books.
Hours after the prerace ceremony where last year’s car was presented back to the team, Byron made sure the record was broken and that it was an even, one-for-one swap with this year’s model. He also made sure not to rush through the moment, letting the elation take its full effect.
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“I think that I’m not much of a historian, I guess. Like, I’m still in the midst of my career and just continuing to progress, but really special the ceremony that they have here and everything that we were able to be a part of, and I think it’ll be just as special next year,” Byron said. “Last year, I guess, I was a little bit — I was looking ahead really quickly about the rest of the season. I think this year, I’ll enjoy this race and then we’ll get down the road and get focused on the year.”
Byron entered the “Great American Race” stratosphere with a needle-threading triumph in Sunday’s 67th edition, extending his Speedweeks reign to a second consecutive campaign. Just four drivers — Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Sterling Marlin and Denny Hamlin — had gone back-to-back in the 500, and all four are among NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers. Sunday night, Byron made that list five.
With last year’s win, Byron continued to carve his own path with the No. 24, a car number Jeff Gordon — now Hendrick Motorsports’ vice chairman — made famous as a driver. This year, Byron strengthened his bond with Daytona, a track that yielded the first of his now 14 NASCAR Cup Series victories. At 27, he also became the youngest winner with multiple Daytona 500 crowns, a stat that pipped the previous mark set by Gordon.
All week, the three drivers, full-time competitors Nemechek and Jones and also Johnson as owner-driver talked about personnel changes over the offseason and what now having a year under their belt in a switch to Toyota engines would mean. The expectations are higher. And there is a real sense of optimism — something they couldn’t help but feel they made good on Sunday night on the Daytona high banks.
“There’s always a lot of hope at the beginning of every season,” said Jones, 28, who was runner-up in his Duel 150-mile qualifying race Thursday night. “I think it definitely changes as you go through the week and see how your car is. I would have told you last year, I felt good about it, but we weren’t in as good as a spot as at the start of the race we are this year. This year, we have a good pit stop, and I feel like the car drives best it has with Next Gen car and I’d say my confidence is the best it’s been to contend.”
All three of the Legacy Toyotas spent time among the top five at various points in the race and showed they are ready to take their performance to the next level.
“It’s amazing,” Johnson said of the Daytona outcome. “Two of the Legacy Motor Club cars in the top five, a great way to start the season. Had Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) on the hood; I hope he was watching. Hope he’s excited. Just an incredible experience.”
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