Winning the Daytona 500 isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Several big names like Tony Stewart and Mark Martin did not have enough in them to see the victory lane at the end of the high endurance test. As we head into the 66th edition of it, Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) Kyle Larson and William Byron will be amongst those giving their shots at adding the Harley J. Earl trophy to their resumes. However, thanks to the experience of their predecessors and their own, they are aware of the challenges that lay in it.
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Larson believes that having help from behind is one of the keys to winning the event. He says to NASCAR, “I think you often see that I feel like with a lot of the guys who consistently run up front, everybody else in the field realizes that they’ve had success and they trust them to follow them. So you really need help from behind as well.” Larson has raced in the 500-miler several times in the past and holds a best finish of 7th place.
The #DAYTONA500 has been postponed until 4 p.m. ET tomorrow due to weather. pic.twitter.com/bmNEuWQVJr
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) February 18, 2024
Byron, on the other hand, has fared even worse than his counterpart. In 6 starts, he has never finished better than 21st. His capabilities behind the wheel can be questioned by none after the season he had in 2023. Once he finds the key to unlocking the Daytona 500 there will be holding him back. But that’s easier said than done.
Byron says of the challenge on superspeedways, “We saw three-wide (racing last year), and a lot of that has to do with saving fuel and how that all plays out. So it’s just tough to balance. Now I feel like everyone’s gotten so smart with this strategy that it’s just more of a track position thing than ever.”
Why Hendrick Motorsports VP Jeff Gordon wants his drivers to win the Daytona 500
The last time a HMS driver won the Daytona 500 was in 2014. Should Larson or Byron achieve the task this year, there’d be none more pleased than 4X Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon. He says of what it would mean for one of his men to be a winner at the event, “I want all four of them to experience it over the future because it is so special and you realize it once you win it. But right now, they’re realizing how hard it is to win.”
Both Larson and Byron had plenty of success in the past season though they did not win the title. They will be hoping to carry the same momentum into the 2024 season opener. The other HMS drivers, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott will be running to break their bad spells from 2023 and bounce back strong.
