Daytona 500 finish reaction: Why NASCAR called for caution on final lap

William Byron earned the victory in the 2024 Daytona 500 on Monday when he led at the time of caution on the final lap.

Byron just beat out teammate Alex Bowman as the two raced for the lead as Ross Chastain and Austin Cindric spun behind them as the field crossed the start-finish line for the white flag lap.

It's the first Daytona 500 win for Byron, who is becoming one of the sport's stars in his 20s.

The finish was controversial given the timing of the incident and the caution being put out, but should it have gone differently for NASCAR?

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Why NASCAR called for a caution on Daytona 500 final lap

The crash between Chastain and Cindric made for an awkward decision by NASCAR. Chastain and Cindric both spun an instant before Byron took the white flag, but the caution was thrown a moment after Byron passed the start-finish line to take the white flag.

At least one other car was involved in the crash, and Cindric and the other car slid up the track as the field drove through the tri-oval.

In the final lap of the Daytona 500, every detail will be scrutinized. But NASCAR threw the caution flag within seconds of a multi-car wreck.

"You can also see the No. 2 car coming back up the race track. That's why the yellow was called," NASCAR managing director of communications Mike Forde tweeted after the race. "Had hoped (Cindric) would have stayed down on the apron like (Chastain) did and end under green."

Did William Byron actually have the lead over Alex Bowman when NASCAR called for a caution?

The replay makes it look tricky, and NASCAR and FOX should have had a clearer look at Bowman and Byron side-by-side as the green light on the catchfence turned to yellow, which signals that caution is out on the speedway.

NASCAR rules state that on the white flag lap, the field is frozen at the moment of caution.

From Bowman's in-car camera view, it appears that Byron and Bowman are close when the caution light is on. From the given angles, Byron looks ahead just after the start-finish line, but Bowman is closing in.

NASCAR tweeted out an aerial photo they used to confirm Byron as the winner.

What didn't help is that there was no clear look by the FOX telecast to show who was in front when the caution was thrown. FOX had a good amount of cameras around the track and in the race cars, including several intriguing shots during the 18-car crash with eight laps to go.

Even NASCAR's photo is from an aerial view; surely there is a better viewpoint to be had given FOX's resources other than an in-car shot and a slowed-down camera angle from atop the grandstands.

Still, NASCAR got it right. Byron was ahead when the caution was called for, and he's the winner.

Who won the Daytona 500?

26-year-old William Byron earned his 11th career NASCAR Cup Series win and his first Daytona 500 on Monday. Byron has been in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet since 2018 and had a breakout season in 2023 with six wins.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Daytona 500 finish reaction: Why NASCAR called for caution on final lap