When Joey Logano emerged victorious for the First stage at the Daytona 500, everyone thought that Team Penske was set for yet another win. Despite being the fastest car on the track, things went haywire all of a sudden, leading to a caution which set up overtime, and eventually, William Byron’s Daytona 500 victory. 

Attending the press conference after the race, Hendrick Motorsports former #24, Jeff Gordon, and current #24 William Byron had a blunt response to the antics that played out at Daytona International Speedway, throwing Joey Logano under the bus.

Joey Logano loses control and causes a major stir

Joey Logano’s late-race aggression led to a massive crash with just 15 laps remaining in the Daytona 500. The Team Penske driver, who led 43 laps, attempted to squeeze into the middle lane. This was in an attempt to pass Ricky Stenhouse Jr., but Stenhouse blocked his move. The two made contact, sending Logano into Kyle Busch’s car before Stenhouse was turned into Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch.

The wreck, which brought out the caution on Lap 187 of the 202-lap race, collected eight cars, including Noah Gragson, Chase Elliott, Todd Gilliland, and Cole Custer. Speaking of the same, Jeff Gordon and William Byron were quite candid about how Logano’s move did not make sense. A post on X from Noah Lewis read, “.@bobpockrass asks if there was anyone who made stupid moves out there today. “Joey did,” @JeffGordonWeb quickly chimes in. “Yeah, that’s true,” Byron adds. #NASCAR.”

Logano’s move was also criticized by Kyle Busch, who was going strong, running amongst the top 5 until he got wrecked. Busch said, “Looks like the fastest car got in a hurry to get to the wreck. Logano was by far the fastest car today. Saw a lot of laps led and he could do about anything. The Penske cars were very strong. We still got 20 laps to go and he’s trying to go through the middle and make a hole that isn’t there. Just created chaos.” Busch, seeking his first Daytona 500 win, was disappointed in Logano’s actions that ended his promising run.

While Stenhouse’s block was a factor, Logano’s decision to dive from the top lane into an already congested middle lane proved costly. The crash shuffled the field. It restructured the stage for the chaotic finish that followed, which led to another wreck involving Team Penske’s Austin Cindric, as William Byron claimed the checkered flag at the 2025 Daytona 500.

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William Byron opens up on his back-to-back Daytona 500 Victory 

Let’s be honest, the Daytona 500 track is a hard nut to crack. Consequently, capturing the checkered flag in back-to-back races proves one’s zeal and dedication. William Byron, despite a smoky last-lap wreck on the backstretch, claimed the Harley J. Earl Trophy. Byron clinched victory in overtime, edging out runner-up Tyler Reddick by just 0.113 seconds. With this triumph, he became the first driver since Hamlin in 2019 and 2020 to win the “Great American Race” in consecutive years.

Speaking of the victory and his strategies to emerge victorious, the Daytona 500 winner said, “Yeah, obviously some good fortune, but just trusted my instincts on the last lap there. I felt like they were getting squirrelly on the bottom, and I was honestly going to go third (top) lane regardless because I was probably sixth coming down the back. Just obviously fortunate that it worked out in our favor. But just really proud of this team. Worked super hard all week and had an amazing car. Just had a really hard time with the fuel-saving and kind of staying towards the front.”

Good fortune was certainly what Byron tasted in his win as he was ninth entering the final lap in overtime. Denny Hamlin and Austin Cindric were batlling it out for the lead with Haas Factory Team’s Cole Custer right behind. Custer got a bit too close and caused the three of them to wreck on the inside line. This left the track open for William Byron and Tyler Reddick to swerve past the wreck and into the podium spots.

Last season, Byron secured all three of his NASCAR Cup Series victories within the first 11 races. If he continues to hold his momentum and exhibit such fine finishes, the 2025 season could end up in his favor.