William Byron Races To Second Straight Daytona 500 Victory

William Byron races to second straight Daytona 500 victory

All right, we are joined. This is *** special pleasure for us here at West you’re joined by the Hall of Famer Tony Stewart here to talk some NHRA here to talk some NASCAR talk fatherhood talk whatever I make you talk about right now. I’m just kidding. Uh, Tony, you’re here coming up to race at Gainesville. Uh, I know Rookie of the year last year, but how wild is it to go from, you’ve raced everything, but to, to sit in that seat in the top fuel car and your race is over in 4 seconds, just the, the transition, how wild is that? Yeah, that’s what I tell everybody. We, I’m used to running 3.5 hour races. Now I have 3.5 2nd runs in the drag car. So, uh, it’s definitely different. It’s, um, you know, all these years we’ve been in motor sports and all the different cars we’ve driven *** lot translates from car to car. I mean, there’s, they’re all unique in their ways and there’s things that you have to do different in each car, but I would say the top fuel car is probably the most drastic change of all of them. It’s kind of off on fantasy Island all on its own, but. You know, to sit in there and climb in *** car that’s got over 11,000 horsepower and go from. 0 to 330 mile an hour in 3.5 seconds is uh that’s *** rush that it’s really hard to explain to people what that feels like. I remember watching, you know, at Thunder Valley, you feel it whether you have your protection or not, you feel it through your head, through your chest sitting in that seat. What is that experience like?lieve it or not, what you feel outside the car, we don’t necessarily feel inside the car, but, and mainly because the headers are outside the car, so you’re getting that concussion. That’s what’s you’re feeling your chest vibrate, feeling your organs in your body moving around. Uh, but we’re so focused when we’re in those cars. I, I, I told all of our, our, you know, circle track guys and NASCAR guys, it’s like we all made split second decisions in those cars in the drags through. Now you have to make *** split second decision off of that split second decision. That’s how fast you have to process and make, make adjustments and, and, uh, make decisions in the car. So it’s definitely something that. Uh, you don’t just climb into it and push the pedal down and it all works out for you. You definitely have to work into it because it is very unique. Well, when you have such *** longer race to overcome something, it’s *** little easier as *** driver, I would think you can kind of impress your will *** bit more the longer the race is, you know, as *** driver, how, how different is the strategy for you when it is such *** split second deal? Yeah, I used to try to be really calm on race day for the NASCAR races and even when we go sprint car racing, I mean, it’s 30 lap races, which that’s *** short race in all reality, but it’s when you’re in the car, it’s *** long race. Uh, when you get in the dragster uh and everything that I got in before I would try to stay calm, you know, because I knew it was gonna be *** longer race, especially NASCAR races you know you’re gonna get cautions you know you’re gonna make pit stops, you’re gonna have breaks. Uh, you get in the dragster and it’s gonna be done in under 4 seconds and you have to be high alert, high intensity, so it’s the polar opposite preparation before *** run, uh, that we had in any any other race car, but the biggest thing is reaction time when that light changes, you want to be the first guy on the gas to get the car moving, but there’s so many things that can happen during the run that people don’t realize that you have to be ready for and if you don’t catch it. You can blow the motor up and it’s easily 80 100 $120,000 repair to fix these things. So making mistakes like that and preventing those mistakes by doing your job as *** driver and catching it, uh, is *** really big deal. So it was fun last year as *** rookie to learn that. And and learn *** new discipline and try to figure out how do you become good at this form of motor sports. Well, you have *** *** special helper too, I’m sure it’s worth pointing out you’re, you’re in the seat because your wife, you just had your first son. uh, how different is that dynamic? I, I worked with my wife when we met, but that was like. In the newlywed phase, you guys are still newlyweds considering I guess but uh how’s that how’s that working with your wife when she’s probably like, come on Tony, you gotta do this *** little differently. Yeah, on paper when when we knew that I was gonna fill in while she uh wanted to start *** family or we wanted to start *** family I should say that um I, I was sitting there going this is either gonna be really really good or really really bad thank God it was the really, really good side she’s an excellent coach um you know I, I equate it to. Like when we were in high school and you have to read *** long book that you don’t wanna read and you go down to the bookstore and you get the 40 page Cliff Notes version that tells you all the stuff you need to know and that’s what Leah’s been for me she’s and she knows the the standard that I hold myself to because she does it with herself as well so you know there’s times you do something 98% the right way and I’m like, well that’s not good enough. I wanna know what that 2% was I left on the table and so she’s really good at just calling *** spade *** spade and. You know, if I make *** mistake, she tells me what I did wrong knowing that I want to know that information so there’s no it’s never tense in those conversations she’ll point out and show you exactly what you did wrong and but she’ll also say, and this is the adjustment for that and this is how you fix that so uh I love driving for it’s uh. You know, I’m gonna be sad when I get kicked out of the car because she wants her race car back, but I’m excited about her getting back in the car, uh, down the road but I’m very honored that I get to fill in and, and get to learn from, uh, *** great race car driver. has how you feel in the seat changed at all since you’ve become *** father? I don’t know. I, you know, going to Gainesville will be the really the first opportunity to figure that out, but I think what I’m probably most excited about is the fact that we get to bring Dominic with us to the racetrack, so. You know for Lee and I have family that you know is married to each other and we get to go racing with each other and that’s that’s our passion every weekend so to get to go to the race track together now to have *** son and we get to bring him on the road with us, uh, I’m, I’ve been looking forward to this for *** long time so I I have no idea how it’s gonna, uh, change mindsets or approaches, but, uh, it’s definitely gonna be exciting to know that you know he’s at the race track, he’s in the pit with us, uh, and you know. To have that experience with him versus, you know, I, I’ve raced with *** lot of race car drivers in *** lot of different series that you know Wednesdays or Thursdays they were getting on *** plane and going somewhere to race for *** weekend and had to leave their family behind and for us to get to to do what we’d love to do and do it together is uh something that’s really special. What was the biggest catching you off guard moment or I don’t know how to ask that when you’re in the car, like what caught you off guard making the switch and then what has been the biggest as *** father as well, like what surprised you? I think in the race car, um. Realistically, I mean, everything I’ve driven, you know, we, we never had standing starts so every car I drove on the start of the race, you were, you were already rolling your eyes were focused ahead of you where you were driving, uh, we’re drag racing, you’re sitting stationary, you’re looking off center either to the right or left depending on what lane you’re in, and you’re looking at the lights and you’re hitting the gas before your eyes ever get focused on where you’re going. So, uh, getting your brain to learn how to process the information as fast as your eyes are bringing that information in has literally been the hardest part about learning the the the dragster uh parenthood every day is *** learning experience. um, Leah has been amazing through it I mean it’s the same intensity she has as *** *** race car driver she’s brought that into to motherhood as well and and she’s learned so much so quick uh she does *** great job with Dominic. I. Kind of stay out of the way we, we have help but we wanted to make sure that we weren’t going to be doing the wrong thing so we have help at the house and uh I’ve learned from them but I just kind of keep my distance and stay out of the way while they are learning with each other and uh but it’s every day it’s special to wake up and you know I know everybody in the world goes and has kids and so I’m telling *** story that everybody already knows but. You know this point in my life to wake up every day and know that when I see Dominic I know every day there’s gonna be *** little change that was *** little different than the day before and that’s what I look forward to every day when I wake up. It wrecks you in the best way possible, yeah, I mean, literally the clock stops when when you see him and he smiles, it’s like the clock stops and nothing else in the world’s happening. Uh, you got me in my fields, Tony. I got 33 small boys and I’m, I’m thinking about that. Uh, as we switch gears, kind of think about Daytona, I know you’re out of the NASCAR game now, but as you watch things kind of evolve, uh, I know you left for *** very deliberate reason as an owner. What do you see that, that you really just. That you don’t like about where the series is? Well, I, I don’t know. I mean, I think if you ask 100 people you’re gonna get 100 different answers on what they like or dislike, but you know, I think it was just the time of my life where, uh, I was just ready for the change. I mean it, it wasn’t the circumstances that I wanted to make *** change and it it wasn’t necessarily the timing that I wanted to do it as well, but, um, but at the same time there’s *** lot of things going on with the series that. Um, you know, they have the reasons that they do it, and, and NASCAR’s been successful for *** very long time making those decisions. Uh, there’s just some variables in the equation that I don’t agree with and don’t like the direction it’s going, and, and, uh, you know, not sure that it’s just something that I want to dedicate that much of my time to doing, you know, I still have Eldora Speedway in Ohio. I still have my world of outlaw sprint car team, two drag race teams. Uh, you, if I’m gonna dedicate that much time, I wanna make sure that I’m all on board with the principles and the concepts that that I’m working under. So, uh, you know, I’m, I’m grateful. I mean, if it wasn’t for NASCAR, there’s no way I would be able to do the stuff I’m doing now. Um, wouldn’t have two drag racing teams, wouldn’t have *** sprint car team, wouldn’t have *** race track, so, uh, very grateful for what opportunities I had in the sport, and, and it’s just time for somebody else to come in and, and there’s car owners that have come and gone for years. I mean, it’s nothing new. Um, I actually saw *** list last fall and it was like we made it *** lot longer than *** than *** lot of teams did it and accomplished *** lot more so we, we had great people, great employees, and thank God. Uh, the way we handled our, our announcement last year gave all of those people opportunities. There literally was less than, uh, I think 5% of the employees that didn’t get that were looking for jobs that hadn’t found jobs by, uh, the new year. So we’re I’m proud of how we dealt with it. We looked out for our people. We always have when COVID hit, we looked out for our people and, uh, we wanted to make sure going down the road even though we were gonna move on that we did the best for our employees so. Uh, took care of all those guys and, and proud of where they all landed and, and the great thing is now if I want to watch NASCAR race on Sunday I can turn the TV on and I can still pull for the same guys that I was pulling for. They’re just all driving for different teams now. That being said, in *** couple weeks at Daytona when you’re not at the 500 or don’t have *** car in the 500 for the first time in *** long time, what do you expect that’s gonna be like? Uh, I think it’ll be fine. I mean, I watched it before I was *** team owner driver in NASCAR, and, and I’m, I, I honestly feel like it’s, uh, it’s gonna make me *** fan again. I mean, I think the politics of the sport and the things that that I disliked about it, I think I’ll forget about that and become *** fan again, which is ultimately what I really want right, last thing, just what’s your pitch for anybody who’s thinking about coming up to Gainesville to see this in person. You know, it, it’s wild in person. What’s your pitch to get them out of the track? Well, I can tell you the, the most common thing I heard *** year ago was fans that came, you know that were NASCAR fans that came to *** drag race for the first time. If I could see him at the end of the day, I would say, what did you, what, what did you think? And the most overwhelming response was we had no idea and, and I said, you know, this doesn’t mean that you gotta stop watching the other forms of motor sports, but this is something you can add to it. And uh really for people to to go to the races it’s so much better to be at *** drag race in person versus watching it on TV. I feel like it’s the other way sometimes with the NASCAR side and IndyCar side, but, uh, truly if you go to the track when you buy *** ticket, you, you get access to the pit area. You get to come to our pit, you get to sit there and watch the guys, uh, disassembling and reassembling the motor you get to be there when we warm up the car. Uh, you never get to do that at *** NASCAR race or in any car race. The fans don’t have that access, so it’s something where we’re *** lot closer to the race fans at the drag races and, uh, like I say, one ticket gets you everywhere but the starting line. So it’s, um, it’s one of those sports that. I feel like if you go one time you’ll you’ll get hooked on it that that’s exactly what happened to me, uh, but it, it is something that’s worth going and checking out because you’re, you’re never gonna go anywhere and see 11,000 horsepower cars. They’re running over 300 miles an hour in less than *** quarter mile. That is wild. That is Tony Stewart, the Hall of Famer, new father. He’s racing up at the drag strip in Gainesville. Thanks for coming, Tony. Thank you.

William Byron races to second straight Daytona 500 victory

William Byron has won the Daytona 500 for the second time in as many years.Byron took advantage of several late cautions to get to the front and became the first back-to-back winner in “The Great American Race” since Denny Hamlin in 2019-20. Tyler Reddick finished second, and Jimmie Johnson third.Video above: Tony Stewart interviewKyle Larson was one of the drivers involved in a late crash that brought a third red flag to the Daytona 500.Larson’s Chevrolet was hit in the back in the crash that saw Ryan Preece go airborne.Crew chief Cliff Daniels says they will need to make two pit stops.Ryan Preece turned upside-down at Daytona International Speedway for the second time in two years.Preece got caught in a late crash in the Daytona 500 and essentially did a wheelie in his No. 60 Ford. His car flipped onto its roof and turned back onto its tires before hitting the outside wall. Preece dropped his safety net to signal to crews he was OK.“When the car took off like that … all I thought about was my daughter, so I’m lucky to walk away,” he said after the crash.His harrowing, flipping crash in the summer race at Daytona in 2023 caused the track to replace grass with asphalt on the backstretch.Former series champions Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott were involved in a late crash in the Daytona 500.Logano and Ricky Stenhouse started the eight-car melee with 15 laps to go when Stenhouse moved to block Logano in the middle lane. It stacked up Logano, and the accordion effect sent several cars sliding in every direction.Busch’s car ended up on a wrecker, extending his skid to 0 for 20 in “The Great American Race.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. —

William Byron has won the Daytona 500 for the second time in as many years.

Byron took advantage of several late cautions to get to the front and became the first back-to-back winner in “The Great American Race” since Denny Hamlin in 2019-20. Tyler Reddick finished second, and Jimmie Johnson third.

Video above: Tony Stewart interview

Kyle Larson was one of the drivers involved in a late crash that brought a third red flag to the Daytona 500.

Larson’s Chevrolet was hit in the back in the crash that saw Ryan Preece go airborne.

Crew chief Cliff Daniels says they will need to make two pit stops.

Ryan Preece turned upside-down at Daytona International Speedway for the second time in two years.

Preece got caught in a late crash in the Daytona 500 and essentially did a wheelie in his No. 60 Ford. His car flipped onto its roof and turned back onto its tires before hitting the outside wall. Preece dropped his safety net to signal to crews he was OK.

“When the car took off like that … all I thought about was my daughter, so I’m lucky to walk away,” he said after the crash.

His harrowing, flipping crash in the summer race at Daytona in 2023 caused the track to replace grass with asphalt on the backstretch.

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Former series champions Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott were involved in a late crash in the Daytona 500.

Logano and Ricky Stenhouse started the eight-car melee with 15 laps to go when Stenhouse moved to block Logano in the middle lane. It stacked up Logano, and the accordion effect sent several cars sliding in every direction.

Busch’s car ended up on a wrecker, extending his skid to 0 for 20 in “The Great American Race.”

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