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TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT – DAYTONA 500
William Byron, Chevrolet Wins 2025 DAYTONA 500
Chevrolet’s Third-Straight Triumph in Great American Race
· William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports
Chevrolet, is a back-to-back DAYTONA 500 Champion – marking the first
time a driver completed the feat since Denny Hamlin in 2019-2020.
· The victory is Chevrolet’s 27th all-time triumph in DAYTONA
500, extending its streak to three-straight in the crown jewel event.
· The victory is Chevrolet’s 52nd NASCAR Cup Series win at
Daytona International Speedway, and the manufacturer’s 866th all-time
win in NASCAR’s top division – both of which are series-leading
feats.
· William Byron drove Chevrolet to its 104th win in the NASCAR
national ranks at Daytona International Speedway, extending the Bowtie
brand’s record as the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR history at the
‘World Center of Racing’.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 17, 2025) – Hendrick Motorsports’
William Byron collected his second crown jewel victory in NASCAR’s top
division – driving his No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet to the victory in the
67th running of the DAYTONA 500. The feat marks Chevrolet’s third
consecutive – and 27th all-time – triumph in the “Great American
Race”, further extending Chevrolet’s leading legacy at Daytona
International Speedway. The 27-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina,
native is now a back-to-back DAYTONA 500 Champion – a title last
earned in 2019-2020 by Denny Hamlin.
“Congratulations to William Byron, Rudy Fugle and the No. 24 Hendrick
Motorsports Chevrolet team on back-to-back Daytona 500 victories,”
said Scott Bell, Vice President, Global Chevrolet. “This is one of the
most prestigious races in motorsports, and for Chevrolet to have won it
for a third consecutive year is an incredible achievement for the entire
company. As NASCAR’s winningest manufacturer at Daytona, we are proud
to have Byron as a part of our storied history in the Great American
Race.”
The victory came in dramatic fashion with Byron sitting in the ninth
position as the field approached an overtime attempt. With chaos
erupting at the front of the pack, Byron was able to navigate his
Hendrick Motorsports-prepared Chevrolet to the top position to take the
checkered-flag in the crown jewel event for the second time in his young
career. The trip to victory lane also delivered Hendrick Motorsports its
10th DAYTONA 500 triumph – a now record-setting feat.
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Atlanta Motor Speedway
the Ambetter Health 400 on Sunday, February 23, at 3 P.M. ET. Live
coverage can be found on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Post-Race Driver Quotes:
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Finished: 1st
William Byron’s entire team is out here, your family just walked out.
William, you were ninth with one lap to go. How did you come through the
pack and avoid the chaos to make it two in a row at Daytona?
“Yeah, obviously some good fortune, but just trusted my instincts on
the last lap there. I felt like they were getting squirrelly on the
bottom and I was honestly going to go to the third lane regardless
because I was probably sixth coming down the back.
Just obviously fortunate that it worked out in our favor. Just really
proud of this No. 24 Axalta Chevy team. They worked super hard all week
and we had an amazing car. Just had a really hard time with the fuel
saving and kind of staying towards the front.
Crazy. I can’t honestly believe that. But we’re here. So proud of it.”
You won this last year, and you know what a big moment it was. Can you
describe what this race does for a driver, especially like yourself, and
now to get to do it a second time, what does this race mean?
“Yeah, it’s obviously really special. It’s an amazing race, and
obviously a lot of crazy racing out there tonight. Just a lot of pushing
and shoving.
But just really proud of our team. I can’t stress that enough. I’m just
super thankful for this group and everything that they do in the
off-season to get prepared. We plan on trying to win a lot of races this
year, so we’re not going to stop here. We’re going to continue to push
forward and try to get to Phoenix.”
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Finished: 6th
“I hate that I pulled out of line when they crashed underneath me
there on the last lap. I probably gave up some spots that way. Congrats
to the No. 24 (William Byron) team. We had a pretty solid day; good race
car, executed well, got Stage points in both Stages and another almost
top-five at least. Seems like the story the last couple of years. We
keep putting ourselves in position, and hopefully we can capitalize on
it.”
Justin Allgaier, No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Finished: 9th
“I think we checked all the boxes. Really proud of JR Motorsports and
everybody on this team. We hit all the markers. We had DVP. We had pit
stops. We had craziness in picking lines. A lot of uncertainty on my
part, just knowing the guys you are around. But all-in-all, it was a
solid night. Missing the crash there at the end was cool. I assumed the
caution was out and I didn’t know we were racing back to the line.
That was cool to race back to the line and get a top ten.
Just want to thank everybody at Travellers Whiskey, Dale Earnhardt Jr.,
Kelly Earnhardt Miller, and everybody that let me be a part of this.
Thank you to everybody at Team Chevy and the Hendrick Engine Shop. This
is a big moment for JR Motorsports, and we are excited about what the
future holds for our company.”
Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 13th
“It was an okay day for the No. 99 Freeway Insurance Chevy team. We
didn’t have as much speed as I thought we were going to have. We
didn’t have a great, clean day.”
Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 14th
“Our Grizzly Nicotine Pouches Chevy was really strong, and our car was
very fast. We were able to lead laps early in the race and the car
wanted to be up front most of the time. In the middle of the race, you
kind of get stuck in the pack, so we tried to play it smart. Our first
goal of the day after having a successful Duel and finishing third,
getting some points there, was to finish the race. We played it smart
through the first couple of stages and we had planned to race pretty
hard in the final stage, we had a loose wheel that put us a couple of
laps down. We fought really hard and got those laps back, stayed out of
the crashes and were able to get a good finish. To leave the Daytona 500
with a top 15 is a conundrum because you want to do well, you can see
the pie in the sky is right in front of you, it’s the biggest race of
our year. To leave with a top 15, leading laps, scoring points in the
Duel, starting our year off on the right foot – that was a major goal of
ours. I am very proud of our team and our resilience of fighting through
the day.”
Helio Castroneves, No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 70.
Finished: 39th
Castroneves on the accident that ultimately ended the No. 91 Trackhouse
Racing Chevy team’s day early:
“I tried stopping it and Martin Truex Jr. came really hard and hit me,
but I don’t think that was the issue. I think the issue was that I
guess someone on the bottom hit me from the side and it broke the axle.
Disappointed, of course. I was learning so much. It’s incredible when
you have more laps in it and how you understand the air flow and what
the guys are doing, like saving fuel. There were some sketchy moments,
but what a shame. I wish I was still out there because there’s still
more to understand and more to learn. I was starting to get a little
more comfortable with the whole process, but it is what it is.
I just have to thank NASCAR, as well, to be able to put together this
type of a show. Now let’s go for the Indianapolis 500!”
How did this compare to the Indianapolis 500?
“It’s such a different show. You know, this has an incredible
feeling and incredible energy. Both events are incredible. That’s why
I decided to do this, and that’s why I want to do the Indianapolis
500, as well.”
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 70.
Finished: 40th
It looked like a major stack-up and check-up there. Is there anything
you could have done differently?
“If I would have made some better moves in our No. 1 Busch Light
Chevy like 30 laps earlier, I wouldn’t have been back there in the
first place. I thought the middle and the top would be a little more
dominant and that I could save more fuel in that run and stay upfront.
Slowly over the whole first stage, I worked my way from third all the
way to basically the back of the field. I just made some bad decisions
there and that put us back there with the accordion coming back. I
didn’t see the hit coming to the right-rear, and then of course, I
take out my teammate (Helio Castroneves) on my way to the wall. I hate
that for Helio and the No. 91 Chevy team. Our Busch Light Chevy drove
good. We made some progress on handling here this weekend. I’m excited
for the future and we’ll move onto Atlanta Motor Speedway.”