The Great American Race is never just about the finish line. Honestly, it's about the chaos that happens two seconds before it. When you look at the Daytona 500 final results, you see a list of names and numbers, but you don't see the heartbreak that happens at 190 mph.
William Byron took the checkered flag in the 2024 edition, ending a nine-year drought for Hendrick Motorsports. It was a massive deal. Rick Hendrick was literally celebrating the 40th anniversary of his team's first start. But if you ask Alex Bowman or Christopher Bell, the vibe is probably a bit different. They were right there. It was a bumper-to-bumper game of chess that ended in a stalemate because of a yellow flag.
What Really Happened with the Daytona 500 Final Results
The ending was weird. There is no other way to put it.
With just four laps to go, a massive "Big One" took out about half the field. We’re talking 23 cars involved in a tangled mess of carbon fiber and expensive dreams. Ross Chastain tried to make a move on the inside of Austin Cindric, and well, it didn't go as planned. Both went sliding through the grass.
NASCAR threw the caution flag.
This is where the Daytona 500 final results get technical and, frankly, kind of annoying for fans who wanted a dash to the line. Because the caution came out just as the leaders were taking the white flag, the field was frozen. By the narrowest of margins—we are talking inches—William Byron was ahead of his teammate Alex Bowman.
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The Breakdown of the Top Five
- William Byron (No. 24 Chevrolet) - The winner. He stayed out of trouble and executed the perfect block.
- Alex Bowman (No. 48 Chevrolet) - The runner-up. He actually thought he might have had it for a second.
- Christopher Bell (No. 20 Toyota) - He survived a mid-race spin to claw back to the front.
- Corey LaJoie (No. 7 Chevrolet) - A huge day for Spire Motorsports. He proved he belongs in the elite conversation.
- Bubba Wallace (No. 23 Toyota) - He avoided the carnage and notched another solid superspeedway finish.
It's wild to think that Byron’s win was the first for the No. 24 car at Daytona since Jeff Gordon did it back in 2005. That’s a lifetime in racing years.
The Controversy You Might Have Missed
NASCAR fans love a good conspiracy theory. Or at least a good debate over the timing of a button press. When the caution lights flickered on, some people on social media were convinced Bowman was ahead.
The high-speed cameras don't lie, though.
NASCAR uses a series of scoring loops embedded in the track. They also use frame-by-frame video evidence to determine the exact position of the cars the moment the caution is "called." In this case, the Daytona 500 final results were upheld because Byron’s nose was just slightly further along than Bowman’s. It was a "teammate finish" that felt both triumphant and incredibly tense.
Let’s talk about the Fords for a second. They were fast. Like, really fast. Joey Logano put his Mustang on the pole and looked like the car to beat for about 400 miles. But Daytona doesn't care how fast your car is in qualifying. Logano got caught up in the late-race wreck, finishing 32nd. That is the brutal reality of this track. One second you're leading the biggest race in the world, the next you're walking across the infield to the care center.
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Hard Truths from the Infield
The Daytona 500 final results also showed us that the "new" Toyota Camry XSE has some serious drafting speed. Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick were slicing through the pack. Toyota hasn't always had the raw numbers at Daytona compared to Chevy or Ford, but they’ve figured something out with the aero package.
Ty Gibbs, the young gun, was up there too. He finished 17th, which doesn't sound great, but he ran in the top five for a huge chunk of the afternoon. He’s learning how to manage the air. That’s the thing about this race—you can’t just floor it. You have to understand how to "side-draft," which basically means pulling the air off the car next to you to slow them down. It’s like invisible wrestling.
Why the Finishing Order Matters for the Rest of the Season
Winning Daytona is more than just a trophy and a giant check. It’s a literal "get out of jail free" card for the playoffs.
William Byron basically locked himself into the post-season in February. That allows his team to get aggressive with setups for the next six months. They can take risks that other teams can’t. Meanwhile, guys like Brad Keselowski, who is a master at this style of racing but still hasn't won a 500, leave Daytona in a points hole. Keselowski finished 33rd after being caught in the same wreck as Logano.
- Chevrolet Dominance: Chevy swept the top two spots.
- The Drought Ends: Hendrick hadn't won this race in a decade.
- The Underdogs: AJ Allmendinger finished 6th. For a guy who isn't even running the full Cup schedule, that’s massive.
It’s also worth noting the attrition rate. Only 20 cars finished on the lead lap. That is a staggering number for a professional sporting event. Imagine a football game where half the players are sidelined by the fourth quarter. That is Daytona.
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Making Sense of the Official Standings
When you look up the Daytona 500 final results, you'll see a lot of names you might not recognize if you only watch once a year. Guys like Noah Gragson (9th) and John Hunter Nemechek (7th) had career days.
These results are often dictated by who decided to pit for fuel at the right time. The 2024 race was a "fuel mileage" race for a long time. Drivers were literally driving at half-throttle for 50 laps just to save gas. It was a weird, slow-motion parade until about 20 laps to go, and then everyone remembered they were there to win.
The transition from "saving mode" to "suicide mode" is what usually causes the big wrecks. Everyone gets impatient at the same time.
Actionable Takeaways for Racing Fans
If you're looking at these results to figure out who to bet on or follow for the rest of the year, keep these things in mind. First, don't overvalue a top-ten finish at Daytona. It’s a crapshoot. Look at who was fast before the wreck. Second, keep an eye on the 23XI Racing team. Bubba Wallace is becoming a legitimate threat every time we go to a superspeedway.
To really understand the Daytona 500 final results, you have to look past the winner. Look at the guys who climbed from the back. Chase Elliott finished 14th after a really tough couple of years with injuries and performance issues. It wasn't the win he wanted, but it was a "clean" race, which is a victory in itself at this track.
Next Steps for Fans
Go back and watch the last 10 laps on YouTube. Pay attention to the No. 2 car of Austin Cindric and how he tried to block the bottom lane. It’s a masterclass in defensive driving that eventually led to the wreck. Also, check the official NASCAR points standings. You’ll see that while Byron got the win, some drivers earned more "stage points" throughout the race, which actually keeps the championship race closer than you’d think.
The Daytona 500 is the only race where the results stay frozen in time, but the drama carries over into every single Monday morning quarterback session for the rest of the year. Byron is the champion, but the story of how he got there is written in the crumpled sheet metal of thirty other cars.