William Byron’s Daytona 500 victory shattered several records. Not only did he become the youngest driver to claim multiple Daytona 500 titles, surpassing Jeff Gordon, but also moved Hendrick Motorsports to its 10th win at the ‘Great American Race’, breaking a tie with Petty Enterprises. Gordon, echoing the sentiments of both the team and Rick Hendrick, mentioned that surpassing the milestone had been on the HMS owner’s mind for quite a while.
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Gordon elaborated, “It was definitely on Rick’s mind. He knows stats like that. He knows numbers, not just in racing, in the automobile business, too… He was certainly well aware that he was at nine…”
“He likes to raise the bar and likes to be No. 1. So, it was certainly something that he said, man, let’s go get No. 10… I spoke to him on the phone, and that’s one of the first things he said is we got No. 10. It means a lot to him.”
Gordon also recounted how Hendrick vividly remembered an event from nearly 42 years ago, saying, “I can’t believe in 1983 I came down here and they [NASCAR] wouldn’t even let me in the garage area.” Gordon then reminisced about Hendrick starting his racing career in ’84 and setting his sights on — what was at the time — a towering goal of 10 Daytona 500 wins, which he has achieved now.
The four-time NASCAR Cup Champion noted that while the venue holds the cars, back when he won his races in the ’90s, Rick Hendrick now keeps these vehicles as cherished pieces of history. He’s quite the collector.
Whether regarded as a historian or not, one can’t help but admire the care with which he curates his collection. Hendrick will take last year’s car, place it in the museum, and similarly honor this year’s winner. Viewing these cars serves as a reminder of his gratitude for his role in the sport.
Moreover, Byron’s Daytona 500 victory marked his entry into an elite group: he finished top 6 in the last 8 NASCAR Cup Series races, a feat last achieved by Martin Truex Jr in 2020. It makes Byron only the sixth driver to manage this in the past 25 years and the first from Hendrick Motorsports since Jimmie Johnson in 2004-2005.
He also ascended as the third youngest driver to achieve this milestone, following Gordon [25 years and 1 month] and Richard Petty [26 years and 1 month], with Byron at [27 years and 2 months].
