Reported by Jenna Fryer, AP Auto Racing Journalist.

On Monday, William Byron broke Hendrick Motorsports’ nine-year losing streak at the Daytona 500, marking the start of the team’s 40th anniversary season. The race was delayed due to rain, but Byron emerged victorious, winning the “Great American Race.”

As Byron reached the finish line, a crash occurred behind him at the same time. The caution flag was raised and he wasn’t certain if he was declared the winner while completing his last lap around Daytona International Speedway.

Byron acknowledged, “It was a lengthy lap and a half.” He shared, “My crew chief attempted to speak but was overcome with emotion, so I was worried if he knew whether we won the race or not.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr., a driver for Hendrick Motorsports, was the most recent winner of the Daytona 500 in 2014. He is one of six drivers to win the race for team owner Rick Hendrick, who holds the record for most wins in NASCAR history. Hendrick celebrated his first Cup win exactly 40 years prior to this victory.

On our initial visit, we didn’t believe we belonged here,” Hendrick expressed in the area of triumph. “We felt completely inexperienced. Now, 40 years have passed and we are still here. The timing couldn’t be more perfect. To achieve victory on the exact 40th anniversary is truly amazing.”

Hendrick Motorsports’ ninth victory at the Daytona 500 matched the record of most wins in NASCAR history held by Petty Enterprises.

According to Hendrick vice chairman Jeff Gordon, who has won the Daytona 500 three times in the No. 24 Chevrolet, William Byron was already a highly successful individual, but his recent performance has taken him to an even higher level of stardom.

Although I wasn’t physically driving the car, I felt like I was right there with him for every lap. We will definitely be celebrating this major victory.

Byron, who has never placed higher than 21st in the Daytona 500, is a self-taught driver who utilized computer technology to improve his abilities. He reached the championship last year after winning a personal record of six races, but ultimately lost the title to Ryan Blaney, older brother of Byron’s longtime girlfriend.

“I am simply a young individual who enjoys racing on computers and to my surprise, I won the Daytona 500,” Byron stated. “I miss my father, who is currently ill, but this victory is dedicated to him. We have endured so much together, and I fondly remember sitting in the grandstands watching the race with him.”

The fourth and last warning of the race occurred when Hendrick’s Alex Bowman collided into Byron from behind, resulting in Byron hitting Brad Keselowski and causing a 23-car pileup. This led to a red flag that lasted for over 15 minutes.

As the final restart approached, there were only four laps left and Byron, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet, was in second place. He engaged in a back-and-forth battle with Ross Chastain from Trackhouse Racing for the lead. Just as Byron crossed under the white flag, signaling the final lap, a crash occurred behind him.

Byron led the way with teammate Bowman close behind, giving Chevrolet and Hendrick a top two finish. Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing took third place in a Toyota, with Corey Lajoie of Spire Motorsports and AJ Allmendinger of Kaulig Racing following in Chevrolets.

Bubba Wallace finished in sixth place while driving a Toyota for 23XI Racing. Following closely behind was John Hunter Nemechek, also in a Toyota, but representing Legacy Motor Club. Chase Briscoe came in eighth place in a Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing, with Legacy driver Erik Jones and SHR teammate Noah Gragson rounding out the top ten.

Due to continual rainfall throughout the weekend at Daytona, the race was postponed by one day. Originally planned for Monday, the Xfinity Series race was rescheduled to be the first event of the day, with the 500 following. However, due to ongoing rain on Monday morning, NASCAR restructured the schedule and designated the Xfinity race as the final event.

The planned pre-race concert on Monday did not take place as expected due to Pitbull, the scheduled performer, stating that he will return next year to fulfill his appearance. He mentioned that a conflicting schedule prevented him from staying in Daytona on Monday. However, grand marshal Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson did stay the extra day and was the highlight of the pre-race events, attracting the most attention.

Johnson was surrounded by fans on the starting grid, in the fan zone, and received the most enthusiastic applause during the pre-race driver meeting. He arrived 30 minutes early, wearing a black tank top.

NASCAR has demonstrated remarkable adaptability this month by adjusting its schedule in order to avoid adverse weather conditions. In the first 75 hours of the series, this level of flexibility has been unprecedented. To kick off the month, NASCAR moved the Clash at the Coliseum exhibition up by a full day due to the threat of rain. At Daytona, they rescheduled the ARCA Series race from Saturday to Friday evening, and made timely decisions to shift both the Xfinity and Cup Series races.

On Sunday morning, it was decided to delay the Cup race by one day in order to avoid having fans sit in wet grandstands and wait for the race to start.

Not long after, groups took advantage of the rain delay on Sunday to announce to The Associated Press that they have enlisted the services of a highly regarded antitrust and sports attorney to assist them in their ongoing disagreement with NASCAR concerning a revised revenue-sharing plan.

The decision to hire Jeffrey Kessler, partner and co-executive chair of Winston & Strawn LLP, followed a meeting at Daytona that included the majority owner from every chartered team. Although the teams invited NASCAR representatives to attend, none did.

AP learned that Kessler was hired by the five members of the team ownership negotiating committee. This news comes as teams and NASCAR are struggling to reach an agreement, resulting in the 36 chartered teams choosing not to prolong their exclusive negotiation period with the governing body for the current deal.

Source: wralsportsfan.com