2025 Daytona 500 results: William Byron wins second consecutive Great American Race in spectacular finish

Byron shot from ninth to first on the final lap after Denny Hamlin and Austin Cindric crashed racing for the win

DAYTONA Beach, Fla. -- In a spectacular finish that saw him go from ninth to first on the final lap, William Byron won the 67th annual Daytona 500 after capitalizing on a crash between Denny Hamlin and Austin Cindric with half a lap to go. After winning the 2024 Daytona 500, Byron becomes the fifth driver in history to win back-to-back Daytona 500s, joining Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Sterling Marlin and Hamlin.

Running in the middle of the lead pack on the final lap, Byron was effectively a bystander for the first half of the final lap as Austin Cindric tried to find a way to hold off a run by Hamlin. Hamlin cut to Cindric's outside to set off a series of sudden shuffles behind him, and then it happened: An errant bump draft led to Hamlin, Cindric, Cole Custer and more all crashing down the backstretch as the seas parted for Byron to drive through.

2025 Daytona 500: Watch as Ryan Preece flips over in wild crash during closing laps of The Great American Race

Steven Taranto

Byron then had to survive the final half a lap without drafting help, holding on just long enough to hold off Tyler Reddick to get back to the checkered flag and score the win in one of the wildest finishes in Daytona 500 history.

Daytona 500 unofficial results

1. #24 - William Byron
2. #45 - Tyler Reddick
3. #84 - Jimmie Johnson
4. #19 - Chase Briscoe
5. #42 - John Hunter Nemechek
6. #48 - Alex Bowman
7. #12 - Ryan Blaney
8. #2 - Austin Cindric
9. #40 - Justin Allgaier
10. #17 - Chris Buescher

One year ago, Byron was fortunate enough to be out in front at the white flag when Ross Chastain and Austin Cindric went for a slide through the infield grass, bringing out the caution to end the race with Byron just ahead of teammate Alex Bowman. This time around, having to come out from through the carnage as it unfolded, Byron chalked his victory up to good fortune and trusting his instinct on the final lap.

"I felt like they were getting squirrely on the bottom," Byron told Fox Sports. "I was honestly going to go to the third lane regardless ... Obviously fortunate that it worked out in our favor. But just really proud of this team, worked super hard all week. Had an amazing car, just had a really hard time with the fuel savings and kind of staying towards the front.

"Crazy. Yeah, I mean, I can't honestly believe that. But we're here, so I'm proud of it."

Long before it finished, the Daytona 500 started with much fanfare as President Donald Trump attended the race for the first time since 2020, leading the field aboard "The Beast" during pace laps in a presidential procession before giving way to polesitter Chase Briscoe. However, it occurred under threatening skies, and the race got only 11 laps in before a passing storm soaked the Daytona International Speedway, bringing out the red flag and prompting a rain delay of a little over three hours that pushed the race to primetime.

Once the race did get underway, it became largely a battle of the field versus the Team Penske cars, which proved to be the class of the field. Cindric, combined with teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano, combined to lead 125 of an eventual 202 laps, and they were set to perhaps battle it out amongst themselves until Logano -- who had overcome debris in his throttle body robbing his car of power and costing him a lap -- triggered a multi-car crash on the back straightaway with 14 laps to go after getting squeezed between Blaney and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Following the restart, it then looked as though the race would be decided between Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell, until Bell got turned into the wall and into traffic to trigger the most spectacular wreck of the race. After hitting Bell, the front end of Ryan Preece's car was launched into the air, sending his No. 60 Ford flipping over and up the Turn 3 banking before landing on its wheels -- ironically, in almost the same part of the racetrack where he had an extremely violent rollover accident in August 2023, and one that prompted NASCAR to pave that section of the Daytona backstretch to reduce the chances of a car going airborne.

After yet another harrowing crash in a superspeedway race -- he was also involved in a violent incident with Kyle Larson at Talladega in the spring of 2023 -- Preece was frank in his feelings on superspeedway racing and whether NASCAR's current product on its biggest and fastest tracks is truly safe.

"I don't know if it's the diffuser or what that makes these cars like a sheet of plywood when you walk out on a windy day, but when the car took off like that and it got real quiet, all I thought about was my daughter," Preece told Fox Sports. "So I'm lucky to walk away. But we're getting really close to somebody not being able to."

In all, Byron's second consecutive Daytona 500 victory was the 10th in team history for Hendrick Motorsports, five of which have now come via the organization's famed No. 24 Chevrolet. Prior to Byron's back-to-back victories, NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon piloted the No. 24 to Daytona 500 victories in 1997, 1999 and 2005.

Race results rundown

• What a way to show you've still got it. In a car designed by Shaquille O'Neal calling back to his uniform on the Orlando Magic, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson piloted his No. 84 Toyota to a third-place finish in his first of two planned races this season. It not only marks Johnson's best finish by far since retiring from full-time racing at the end of the 2020 season, but it's also his seventh top five in his Daytona 500 career.
• There's one over dear old dad. Not only did John Hunter Nemechek earn his best career finish by coming across the line in fifth, but he also set a new high mark for the Nemechek family in the Daytona 500. His father, longtime NASCAR fixture Joe Nemechek, had a best Daytona 500 finish of sixth back in 2004.
• Speedweeks 2025 marked a new chapter in the legacy of the Earnhardt family at Daytona, as reigning Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier put JR Motorsports in the field for their first Cup race. Allgaier ended up ninth at the finish line, earning the second top 10 of his Cup career, most of which was contained to a brief stint as a full-time Cup driver in 2014 and 2015.
• After nearly winning his Duel qualifying race and running up front early, Ty Dillon's race looked like it may have been spoiled when he had to pit just after a restart with a loose wheel, falling laps down in the process. But thanks to the series of late race incidents, Dillon was able to get back on the lead lap and drive back through the field to begin his return to full-time Cup with Kaulig Racing with a 14th-place finish.
• Corey LaJoie nearly earned a monumental upset, willing his way to the lead with nearly 10 laps to go and leading 10 laps total and putting himself in a position to win on the final lap before finishing 22nd after being collected in the wreck on the backstretch. His Rick Ware Racing teammate, Cody Ware, was almost through the wreck on the final lap only to get clipped at the last moment, sending him from another potential top 10 at Daytona to a 25th-place finish -- an unfortunate turn of events for Rick Ware's team on both fronts.
• 2024 Cup Rookie of the Year Carson Hocevar became the star of the Daytona 500's rain delay, as he achieved social media stardom by getting on the iRacing rig in his hauler and streaming his playtime on his Twitch channel. Once he was back in his real race car, things didn't go as well: Hocevar suffered from fuel pressure issues and wound up finishing 30th.
• Kyle Busch was running third late in the Daytona 500 with a chance to finally win in his 20th try, a two-decade long struggle that offered shades of Dale Earnhardt's efforts to win this race before finally scoring the victory in his 20th attempt in 1998. It was not to be: Busch ended up getting swept up in the pileup with 14 laps to go, relegating him to 34th and extending his Daytona 500 record to 0 for 20. His compatriots in longtime Daytona 500 frustration despite championship Cup careers otherwise, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr., were also collected in crashes and finished 26th and 38th, respectively.
  
• In a much anticipated NASCAR debut many years in the making, four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves took to the high banks of Daytona for the very first time behind the wheel of the No. 91 for Trackhouse Racing. Unfortunately, the impression he left would end up being on the wall. After getting crashed both in his Duel race and in the ARCA Menards Series race on Saturday, Castroneves was collected in a crash on a Lap 70 restart and was left with a 39th-place finish for his troubles.
  

Next Race

With the sport's biggest race now in the history books, NASCAR will get its regular season underway in earnest with a trip to Atlanta Motor Speedway next week for the Ambetter Health 400 next Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on Fox.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 9:38 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Austin Cindric and Denny Hamlin try to decide the race among themselves! Hamlin gets a run! Cars behind Hamlin have a run! AND THEY CRASH! THEY ALL CRASH!

Out of the wild blue, WILLIAM BYRON has made it through! He's racing back to the finish line, and Tyler Reddick's trying to catch him! He can't get there! William Byron goes BACK-TO-BACK and WINS THE DAYTONA 500 FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW!

1 - #24 - William Byron
2 - #45 - Tyler Reddick
3 - #84 - Jimmie Johnson
4 - #19 - Chase Briscoe
5 - #42 - John Hunter Nemechek
6 - #48 - Alex Bowman
7 - #12 - Ryan Blaney
8 - #2 - Austin Cindric
9 - #40 - Justin Allgaier
10 - #17 - Chris Buescher

[Feb 16, 2025 at 9:34 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

The red flag has been lifted and we're going to overtime to settle the Daytona 500. It's two past Daytona 500 champions in Denny Hamlin and Austin Cindric, with Cole Custer, Riley Herbst, and Alex Bowman behind them the top five.

Herbst, a Cup rookie, is driving a car that's owned by Hamlin at 23XI Racing. Cole Custer is in a Ford, but it remains to be seen whether he's got front end damage from that wreck with Christopher Bell.

Time to settle the Daytona 500!

[Feb 16, 2025 at 9:24 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

So, for context: Two years ago in the August race at Daytona, Ryan Preece went for a massive tumble down the backstraightaway, as his car went airborne and flipped over nearly a dozen times.

They actually paved that section of the infield towards the end of the backstretch -- and Preece somehow found a way to flip over there again.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 9:21 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Two Toyotas side by side! Two Fords side by side behind them! AND A CRASH! CHRISTOPHER BELL AND RYAN PREECE GOES FLYING DOWN THE DAYTONA BACKSTRETCH AGAIN!

Caution is out with Denny Hamlin and Austin Cindric at the front!

[Feb 16, 2025 at 9:19 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

LaJoie gets a clean jump out front. He tries to block Cindric but the 2 car is too strong. He loses his drafting help until Nemechek cna pick him up and Cindric goes back to the lead with Hamlin and Bell in tow. Seven to go.

Those three are single file, with Riley Herbst trying to catch them. Now Hamlin goes to the outside and takes Bell with him! Hamlin trying to become just the third driver to ever win more than three Daytona 500s! Six to go!

Bell now leads the outside line and has a push from Cole Csuter! Two by two for the lead coming to five laps to go!

[Feb 16, 2025 at 9:13 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

10 laps to go now as they make laps under caution. After willing his way to the front of the field, Corey LaJoie is leading and in a position to win this race for Rick Ware Racing. Neither has ever won a Cup Series race.

Austin Cindric, perhaps the best car remaining in the field after Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano both crashed, runs second. John Hunter Nemechek, another driver going for his first Cup win, runs third. Then it's three-time Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin and 2018 Daytona 500 champion Austin Dillon.

Restart will come with eight laps to go separating those drivers -- or perhaps someone else out of the pack -- from history.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 9:05 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

THE BIG ONE! Joey Logano got put in a tough spot between RIcky Stenhouse and Ryan Blaney, and he couldn't get out of it and ended up turning both of them!

Caution is out with 14 to go and a lot of cars taken out of it. Kyle Busch is one of them, and his quest to finally win the Daytona 500 will have to wait another year.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 9:03 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

The outside line is coming! LaJoie is up to third and now going for second as Stenhouse shoves him forward! The third lane is moving as well with Joey Logano leading it! 15 laps to go and now LaJoie going for the race lead!

[Feb 16, 2025 at 9:00 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

20 to go. They're jostling tryig to make something happen in midpack. But the inside line is committed to each other and they're trying to settle this race among themselves.

Leaders come up on the lapped car of Ty Dillon. Dillon decides discretion is the better part of valor and gives them room.

The center of action inthe pack right now is Corey LaJoie, whois trying to will his way to the front and is starting to gain ground with a push from Ricky Stenhouse.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 8:58 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

After leading this race earlier, Corey LaJoie is trying to make something happen as the leader of the middle lane. But it isn't working. The cars on the inside line are coordinated and leading laps as we approach 20 to go.

Austin Cindric and Austin Dillon in the top five looking to win their second Daytona 500. Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, and Christopher Bell are trying to win their first.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 8:54 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

The bottom line is beginning to flex its muscle. They're breaking away with Cindric, Blaney, Busch, Austin Dillon and Christopher Bell in that group. The top line led by Wallace is falling way back despite some strong cars in that group including Byron and Elliott.

John Hunter Nemechek continues to lead the middle line. Not for long. Denny Hamlin has gone up to cover that.

Leaders starting to break away. First eight cars single file with 2023 Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse trying to make something happen.

25 laps to go.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 8:51 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Green flag is out again. The Penske cars are drafting together in the inside line, but Bubba Wallace gets pushed clear to the lead by William Byron.

Wallace stays with his help, allowing Cindric to challenge him for the lead again. Third line now trying to form, Wallace covers it, and now John Hunter Nemechek jumps up from the middle lane to try and lead that group forward.

Ty Dillon had to make an unscheduled stop due to aloose wheel. He's now gone a lap down.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 8:45 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Leaders all come to pit road under caution. Austin Cindric is able to win the race off by only stopping for three seconds of fuel.

Jimmie Johnson ended up getting blocked into his pit box and has lost a bunch of track position. The NASCAR Hall of Famer and seven-time Cup champion, who now runs a limited schedule while serving as principal owner of Legacy Motor Club, had been running inside the Top 10.

Justin Haley and Carson Hocevar pit the next time by along with others towards the back of the lead pack. One to go and we'll restart with 35 laps to go.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 8:41 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

William Byron, Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace continue swapping the lead. The key here for the lead pack is to make their last pit stop as short as possible, which is why there's been so much fuel management throughout the lead pack. Many in the draft are running part throttle trying to save fuel, which would allow them to gain track position with a shorter stop.

And it's all a moot point. Caution is out for 39 laps to go for debris in Turn 1 as Zane Smith takes his damaged car to the garage area.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 8:36 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Race for the lead is still between Wallace, Blaney and Byron with 45 to go in the Daytona 500. We're coming up on what could be the final round of pit stops, and the first round of green flag it stops all night.

Josh Berry has taken his damaged car back to the garage area and retired from the race. He joins Martin Truex Jr., Helio Castroneves, Ross Chastain and A.J. Allmendinger. 34 cars on the lead lap.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 8:28 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Race for the lead is between Wallace and Blaney. Inside line had lost some juice but Kyle Busch now starting to lead that group back forward.

Austin Cindric gives some heavy pushes to Blaney, which allows him to clear the leaders momentarily before Wallace and Busch get a run on him again as their lanes surge.

We are now coming up on 50 laps to go as defending Daytona 500 champ William Byron makes his presence felt as the new leader of the inside line.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 8:24 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Two big names now at the front of the lead pack. Bubba Wallace has taken the lead on the top, with Kyle Busch -- in his 20th try to finally win the Daytona 500 -- leading the bottom. Ryan Blaney is leading the middle.

Three wide throughout the lead pack with some cars straggling single file behind this group. Wallace's help is from Elliott, Blaney's from Cindric, and Busch's from Larson.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 8:19 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

An illustration of how dominant the Penske cars have been tonight: Between Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric and Joey Logano, Team Penske cars have now led nearly 90 laps and counting of 136 so far.

Blaney will be the leader when they restart on Lap 137. He leads Wallace, Cindric, Busch and Elliott as another wave of cars towards the back of the lead pack pit to top off.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 8:14 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

First wave of stops under caution occurs with Ryan Blaney winning the race off over Wallace, Cindric, Busch and Elliott. Joey Logano came to pit road early as his crew continued to work to make full repairs to the electrical issue he had as a result of debris in his throttle body.

Next eave of stops will include Cole Custer, Ty Dillon, Justin Haley, Cody Ware, Carson Hocevar, Tyler Reddick and Logano, whose team continues their work under the hood replacing the air box. Because Logano came to pit road before it was open, he'll have to restart at the back.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 8:09 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Ryan Blaney pushes Austin Cindric out front on the last lap of Stage 2 -- just the way he wanted to! With as far forward ahead of the pack as Cindric got, the drag his car produced allowed Blaney to get a run on him which he used to beat him back to the line for the Stage 2 win.

1 - #12 - Ryan Blaney
2 - #2 - Austin Cindric
3 - #9 - Chase Elliott
4 - #48 - Alex Bowman
5 - #34 - Todd Gilliland
6 - #17 - Chris Buescher
7 - #43 - Erik Jones
8 - #22 - Joey Logano
9 - #23 - Bubba Wallace
10 - #8 - Kyle Busch

[Feb 16, 2025 at 8:04 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Bowman is beginning to lead the inside line forward. Still fuel saving to be done in the lead pack. Leaders are running double file.

Five to go in the stage. Cindric enjoying a slight advantage right now. Status quo over the next few laps as we come up on the last lap of Stage 2.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 8:01 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Less than 10 to go now in the stage. Cindric leads Blaney, Elliott, Gilliland and Riley Herbst -- who has made an impressive recovery from being involved in a crash earlier -- along the top line. As long as you can keep the draft, a damaged car can keep going and can drive to the front in this style of racing.

Botto mline is being led by Alex Bowman, with his drafting help from Chris Buescher -- and Joey Logano, who is slowly working his way back up to the front.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 7:56 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

15 to go in the Stage. Bowman leads the inside line, Austin Cindric went up to cover the top led by Chase Elliott, and that opened up the middle for Daniel Suarez.

Approaching 10 to go in this stage and another point at which we'll hand out some stage points. Cindric is starting to take control of the top lane and is leading the lead pack along with drafting help from Ryan Blaney.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 7:53 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

20 laps to go now in Stage 2. Austin Cindric and Chase Elliott fighting for the lead.

Keep an eye on the way fuel mileage plays into the last 20 laps of this stage. The lead pack has thinned out to mostly double file as they put Shane van Gisbergen's damaged car a lap down. This is from Ryan Preece, who has spent much of this run at the front of the field and using the most fuel as he runs flat out at the head of his line.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 7:46 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

We are now past the halfway mark. Ryan Preece leads Noah Gragson, Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric and Michael McDowell.

Bowman is the new leader of the bottom line, with Cindric leading the middle line and Preece leading the top.

Bowman was the runner up in last year's Daytona 500. Cindric was the winner in 2022. Ryan Preece has never won a NASCAR Cup Series race.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 7:42 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Three-wide all throughout the lead pack. It's Cindric, Gragson and Preece racing for the lead as we approach halfway.

Bear in mind: While rain won't be an issue the rest of the race, the race is official at Lap 100 per NASCAR rules. If anything keeps the race from being resumed past either the halfway mark or the end of Stage 2 (whatever comes first), the race goes into the record books and a winner is declared.

Ryan Preece now emerges at the front of the pack as the race leader.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 7:37 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

An update on Joey Logano's issues: A piece of debris (likely related to the trash from earlier) got into the front grille of his car and got on the throttle body. The debris has been cleared, Logano is back on the lead lap, and he's competitive again towards the tail end of the lead pack some 34 cars strong.

Noah Gragson now moving up to challenge Cindric for the lead with a push from Ryan Preece.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 7:34 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Back to green on Lap 86. Austin Cindric is the leader over Chase Elliott, Noah Gragson, Ryan Blaney and Ryan Preece.

Field forms up three-wide for the lead again between Cindric, Elliott and 2021 Daytona 500 champion Michael McDowell. McDowell's drafting help is actually coming from the car he drove last year, as Todd Gilliland is now the driver of the Front Row Motorsports NO. 34 while McDowell drives the No. 71 for Spire Mootrsports.

Bubba Wallace reportedly had an electrical issue under that caution.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 7:29 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Austin Cindric leads the field to pit road for the first wave of pit stops under yellow. Lots of gas and go stops to top off on fuel.

Only about five cars led by Bubba Wallace stay out. As per their strategy, they'll likely pit on this next lap. And that's exactly what he does along with Ware, Hocevar, Johnson and SVG.

[Feb 16, 2025 at 7:23 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

That crash on the restart was little deterrent to the field to race harder. Lead pack is running three wide with Austin Cindric and Ryan Preece battling for the top spot. Preece has the advantage with drafting help from RFK Racing teammate Chris Buescher on the outside.

Cindric now leads the middle lane. The bottom line is led by Noah Gragson, who has two-time Daytona 500 champion crew chief Drew Blickensderfer atop the pit box. and now he challenges for the lead with drafting help from Tyler Reddick!

Caution is now out for debris in Turn 1. While that short run was going on, Joey Logano was running well behind the lead pack and down on power, with the yellow keeping him from going another lap down. Josh Berry has taken his car to the garage area with his crash damage from earlier.

Logano is actually the free pass car, as he was the first car one lap down at the moment of caution. He'll be able to get back on the lead lap and his team gets another opportunity to examine his issues.