A battered car forces William Byron into a backup for his Daytona 500 three-peat bid

He'll have to do it in a backup Chevrolet after his preferred No. 24 was damaged in a qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway.

No big deal, though: Byron won his first Daytona 500 in 2024 in a Hendrick Motorsports backup car.

"We've won this race with a backup car, so I'm not super worried on that aspect," Byron said. "But it does suck that you put a lot of work into the primary and you don't get to race it."

He will start 39th in the 41-car field in NASCAR's season opener but isn't concerned about being in the back of the pack. Byron was hardly dominant in winning the last two Daytona 500s — he led a total combined 14 laps in both victories — and his success was rooted in being in the right place at the right time.

No driver in 67 previous Daytona 500s won "The Great American Race" three years in a row. Richard Petty in 1975, Cale Yarborough in 1985, Sterling Marlin in 1996 and Denny Hamlin in 2021 all came up short.

Byron came from nowhere last year — he was ninth at the start of the final lap of overtime — when a monstrous wreck in front of him allowed Byron to squeeze through and snag the win after leading all of 10 laps the entire day.

He led only four laps in 2024 — and dropped as low as 34th during the race — but again was in position to pounce when it mattered. He navigated a last-lap scramble to take the lead right before a caution flag froze the field to win under yellow.

Luck? Maybe, but it takes skill to be able to capitalize when the opportunity arises.

"It just feels like I've been, at this track in particular, able to have some things go my way and also make good decisions in those moments that I had opportunities," Byron said. "It's a mix of being in the right place and then having those chances to make good decisions."

His two-year run is a remarkable turnaround for Byron, who has only finished half of his 16 career starts at Daytona, crashing out eight times.

Byron has five career victories at drafting tracks — two at Atlanta and three at Daytona (he won the summer race in 2020). But he thinks his ability to master the draft and navigate through traffic turned in his favor at Talladega, where he has five top-five finishes.

Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, winner of a NASCAR-record 20 Daytona 500s, doesn't believe Byron's success at Daytona was tied solely to luck. He noted Byron raced for the NASCAR championship the last three years and racked up 16 career victories in the No. 24 Chevrolet.

"I don't know if you can really luck into it. You've got to put yourself in position to do it," Hendrick said. "William is probably underestimated as a plate racer; he's one of the best out there."

Busch tries to end drought

Kyle Busch starts on the pole for the first time in his 21 attempts to win the Daytona 500, and at 0 for 20, his drought is the longest among active drivers in the field.

Even worse, Busch takes a 93-race losing streak into Sunday that dates to 2023, his first season driving for Richard Childress Racing. It's a frustrating drought for Busch, a two-time NASCAR champion with 63 career Cup wins. He said he badly wants to win for his family.

The pole-winning run comes as RCR tries to return to its championship-contending form, which has been spotty in the 25 years since Dale Earnhardt was killed in a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500. Earnhardt won six championships and one Daytona 500 driving for Childress.

No driver ever won the race for the first time in more than 20 attempts — the number it took the Earnhardt to win it in 1998.

"It's a box we've got to check," said Busch, who finished second to then-teammate Hamlin in 2019.

Hamlin goes for No. 4

Hamlin missed his shot to win three straight Daytona 500s but still has records to chase.

Another victory would be his fourth and tie him with Yarborough for second-most all-time victories in NASCAR's biggest race. Only seven-time winner Richard Petty, also a seven-time NASCAR champion, has more.

Keselowski races hurt

Brad Keselowski is 0 for 16 in the Daytona 500 and doesn't have great odds Sunday because of a fall he took while on a family ski trip in December.

Keselowski slipped on ice and broke his right leg, and the injury caused him to miss last week's preseason exhibition race. He arrived in Daytona using a cane to walk as he's hurried his recovery time to ensure he wouldn't miss any points-paying races.

"When I'm in the car, I know I've got an injury, don't get me wrong, but I feel the best in the car," he said. "The seat is molded to me really well and you get a little adrenaline flowing, so I felt pretty good."

He's raced hurt before: Keselowski broke his ankle in a 2011 crash but raced to a victory at Pocono a few days later.

Odds and ends

Joey Logano and Chase Elliott won their qualifying races earlier in the week to emerge as strong contenders. … Dale Jarrett is the last driver to win from the pole in 2000. … Jimmie Johnson and rookie Connor Zilisch start side-by-side in 31st and 32nd as row 16 pairs the oldest and youngest drivers in the field. Johnson is 50 and Zilisch is 19. … Logano and his Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney are the betting favorites at plus-1200.