William Byron, fresh off his second consecutive Daytona 500 victory, responds to critics who attribute his win to luck rather than skill. The Hendrick Motorsports driver moved from seventh to first on the final lap after a crash collected the leaders, securing his historic back-to-back victory alongside Tyler Reddick.

"It just makes me chuckle," Byron says about comments regarding luck's role in his victory, including remarks from Denny Hamlin on his Actions Detrimental podcast about the randomness of Daytona winners.

Byron joins elite company as a repeat winner, following Hamlin's consecutive victories in 2019 and 2020. Recent years have seen first-time winners Michael McDowell (2021), Austin Cindric (2022), and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2023), with three of the last five races ending in overtime.

"When I started superspeedway racing, I treated it as luck and strategy didn't really work out very well," Byron reflects. "I go into it and try to control the things I can control. Obviously I was fortunate in that situation, but I made moves leading up to that put me in that position."

Following his victory, Byron embarked on a whirlwind celebration tour, including the champion's breakfast in Daytona, WWE Raw in Charlotte, and media appearances in New York. His Atlanta tour featured stops at CNN, The Weather Channel, and the Atlanta Braves clubhouse.

"I think every one is a little bit different, but this one I tried to take in a lot as I went through it," Byron says. "I feel like the Daytona 500 is a win that, over time, you grow more and more fond of. I haven't really had any win like that in my career."

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