Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron kicked off his 2025 NASCAR Cup Series bid in perfect fashion after winning one of, if not the sport’s biggest race right from the get-go. The #24 Chevrolet driver logged his second Daytona 500 victory this year, achieving back-to-back victories at the famed tri-oval.
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At just 27 years old, the North Carolina native has achieved as many wins in ‘The Great American Race’ as Cup Series veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr. did during his entire Cup Series career.
This prompted fans to question which driver was better at superspeedway racing, the HMS Young Gun or the retired old legend. Fans took to social media to debate the topic with several giving their takes on why either driver surpasses the other.
“2 plate wins can’t compare to all the plate wins Jr. has. But we are also comparing a 17-year career to a 6-year career. Is that fair?” asked one fan as the discussion went on.
“Byron deserves the respect though. He has 3 wins on Superspeedways & he is also always in the mix at the front of the SS races he’s in. Always. Yeah, it helps that he has a great car but he also makes good decisions and usually makes the right moves,” favored one follower of the sport.
What is the point? Byron has 4 overall Cup wins at Daytona. A Duel win. A summertime win. And 2 straight Daytona 500 wins! Sure it doesn’t compare to Jr, but why compare them? No need to compare different eras of drivers
— Kevin Pearman (@kev24ever) February 18, 2025
Byron’s history at superspeedway racing has been stellar and the stats indicate the same. During his last 13 superspeedway appearances in NASCAR’s top tier, the #24 driver has seven finishes inside the top 10. Given the unpredictable nature of superspeedway racing, this points towards Byron’s stellar command over this type of track.
While one could argue in favor of Byron’s prowess over Dale Jr.’s one fan reacted to the comparison with a neutral perspective. “We will never know how good he is compared to Dale as Dale never had to drive this superspeedway package. He is however one of the best of this generation and always finds a way to be there when it matters,” they wrote.
“I think he’s close, 2 Daytona 500s, 2 Atlanta wins on the new configuration, a win in the 400. Always upfront at Degga and honestly always races well at every Drafting track,” opined another fan, tipping the scales in Byron’s favor. While it could come down to personal preference, it cannot be denied Byron has proven his mettle on superspeedways.
Whether he certainly is better than Dale Jr. who raced in a different era with a vastly different car is debatable. The notion can sway in either direction, depending on who has the stronger fanbase. In that case, Dale Jr. might just edge Byron out by a considerable margin.
