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NASCAR legend and Hendrick Motorsports' vice chairman Jeff Gordon was jubilant following William Byron's historic Daytona 500 victory on Monday.
Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron clinched a memorable victory at the iconic Daytona International Speedway. The 26-year-old edged his teammate Alex Bowman in the last lap to secure the win in a dramatic finale.
The triumph held significant symbolism for both Byron and the Hendrick Motorsports organization. Not only was it Byron's inaugural Daytona 500 victory, but it also coincided with the 40th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports' debut in the Cup series, marked by Geoffrey Bodine's historic win in the 1984 Daytona 500.
On the occasion, the former Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 driver and four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon lauded Byron's heroics. Gordon expressed awe at the momentous occasion on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, likening it to experiencing the thrill of watching the No. 24 win the Daytona 500 for the first time in 1984. He said:
"It makes you realize how hard this race is to win, and how special it is. It feels amazing. It's 2024. To see the No. 24 pull into victory lane at the Daytona 500 40 years to the day of Hendrick Motorsports' first Daytona 500, just unbelievable."
"It just feels like this is the first time all over again. I think it's because of how hard I see these folks work."
Highlighting the significance of William Byron's victory for Hendrick Motorsports, Gordon stated:
"This is just an amazing way to get things started. Doesn't guarantee anything other than, it should lock us in for the playoffs. And this is a championship on its own. They might've missed out on the championship overall last season, but this is a championship."
Byron's victory also meant that it was Hendrick Motorsports' ninth Daytona 500 win, the most in NASCAR history alongside the now-defunct Petty Enterprises. Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Geoff Bodine, and Darrell Waltrip are the other HMS drivers to have won the Great American Race.
William Byron went to "another level" following Daytona 500 victory according to Jeff Gordon
According to the 52-year-old, Byron's win has propelled the driver to new heights of stardom within the NASCAR community. Gordon said (via NASCAR.com):
"It’s so cool what this is going to do for this team, for all of our partners and William Byron. He was already a superstar. He just went to another level of being a superstar."
Despite no longer being behind the wheel himself, Jeff Gordon confessed to feeling intimately connected to William Byron's journey. He said:
“I wasn’t driving the car, but I feel like I was making every lap with him out there. It’s just crazy to watch these guys do what they do and do it so well, and to watch them from this side of it, it makes me so happy, so proud. We’re going to celebrate. This is an amazing win, huge win.”
