Daytona 500 race recap: William Byron wins, Austin Hill notches Xfinity three-peat

The 2024 Daytona 500 is now in the books and William Byron has found his way to Victory Lane. The win gave Hendrick Motorsports its first win in the Great American Race since Dale Earnhardt Jr. won in 2014.

Byron restarted on the front row after a massive crash with eight laps left and held on to win. He took the white flag just before a caution came out due to a spin between Austin Cindric and Ross Chastain behind him.

The race was run as the first of a doubleheader as Daytona's Saturday Xfinity race was bumped to Monday due to rain.

Twice, rain has forced the Daytona 500 to Monday.

The United Rentals 300, the Xfinity Series season opener, was scheduled for an 11 a.m. start but was moved to approximately 9 p.m. after rain persisted into Monday morning. The green flag will wave in that race around an hour after the conclusion of the Daytona 500.

Visit here for live updates throughout the morning and afternoon.

Austin Hill pulls Daytona Xfinity three-peat

Nothing can stop Austin Hill at Daytona International Speedway.

Not rain. Not a crash. Not damage. Not a flat tire. And not his own pit mistakes.

Hill passed Jordan Anderson after a late-race restart and held off the field in a sprint over the final couple of laps to win the United Rentals 300 for the third year in a row. Sheldon Creed finished second as the two were the only cars to escape a last-lap fracas on the backstretch. Anderson finished third.

Big wreck at Xfinity Series with 8 laps to go

A big wreck on the backstretch spelled the end of Daytona dreams for a number of Xfinity drivers with eight laps to go.

Cole Custer smacked the wall after a push from behind, and swept a number of cars with him. Justin Allgaier was among the drivers involved, as well as Daniel Dye, Sage Karam and Brennan Poole.

Jordan Anderson has the lead after Riley Herbst was forced to serve a penalty for a restart violation. Chandler Smith, Austin Hill, Ryan Sieg and Brandon Jones round out the top-five.

Xfinity Series crashes bring out yellow flags, 17 to go

Another wreck has brought out the yellow flag in the United Rentals 300 with just 17 laps remaining.

Jeb Burton, Jeremy Clements and Leland Honeyman were among those caught up in the latest wreck. Ryan Sieg is currently leading with the Stewart-Haas Fords of Riley Herbst and Cole Custer behind him.

Austin Hill leads Daytona Xfinity race after second stage

Austin Hill will take the lead of Monday's Xfinity Series race at Daytona into the third and final stage.

Hill, driving the No. 21 Chevrolet, picked up nine points earlier in the evening after running second in Stage 1. He is one of seven drivers who have led at least one lap.

Sammy Smith, Sheldon Creed, Cole Custer and polesitter Jesse Love round out the top-five.

Frankie Muniz among those caught up in latest crash

A Lap 38 crash cost the United Rentals 300 some star power.

Fankie Muniz was among a big handful of racers getting all or part of the wreck.

Others involved included Jesse Love, Austin Hill, AJ Allmendinger, John Hunter Nemechek, Parker Kligerman and Sage Karem.

Muniz, best known in Hollywood for his starring role in the TV sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle," has moved to the Xfinity Series this year after spending last season in the ARCA Series.

Daytona Xfinity race: Jesse Love wins Stage 1 from the pole

Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet teammates Jesse Love and Austin Hill finished Stage 1 right where they started, in first and second respectively.

Love claimed the pole for the United Rentals 300 and Hill, the two-time defending winner of the event, qualified second. Parker Kligerman, Anthony Alfredo, and Jeb Burton rounded out the top five.

A mini-Big One takes out Hailie Deegan, others in Xfinity

A crash brought out the yellow 25 laps into the United Rentals 300. Sent to the garage were Hailie Deegan, Daniel Suarez, Kyle Weatherman and Sam Mayer.

Austin Hill was leading after the race went back to green.

Xfinity Series race, United Rentals 300 at Daytona underway

The second half of Monday's Daytona doubleheader is underway.

Polesitter Jesse Love led the 38 drivers to the line to kick off the United Rentals 300 at Daytona International Speedway. Stage 1 is 30 laps.

Five drivers are pulling double duty, having competed earlier in the Daytona 500: Anthony Alfredo, John Hunter Nemechek, Daniel Suárez, Riley Herbst and AJ Allmendinger.

Daytona 500: William Byron wins 66th Daytona 500

William Byron beat the yellow flag to the start-finish line as a crash broke out behind him, claiming a win in the Daytona.

Byron won a career-high and Cup Series-leading six races in 2023 but had never finished better than 21st in the Daytona 500. Alex Bowman finished second, giving Hendrick Motorsports a 1-2 sweep. Christopher Bell was third, Corey LaJoie fourth and AJ Allmendinger fifth.

Daytona 500: The Big One strikes late; 18 cars involved

Leader Ross Chastain was just ahead of a massive pileup as the Daytona 500 got within 10 laps of the finish. Race officials brought out the red flag in order to clean the track without losing the few remaining laps of regulation.

Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Martin Truex and Brad Keselowski were among the lead-pack cars taking big hits and incurable damage to their cars. In all, 18 cars got a lot or a little of it.

After a lengthy cleanup, when the green falls the top five should look like this: Chastain, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Austin Cindric, Chase Elliott.

Daytona 500: Final pit stops done, under 20 to go

The final pit stops have been made in the Daytona 500 and less than 20 laps remain. Currently, Ross Chastain leads Kyle Larson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at the front of the field.

Daytona 500 leaderboard: Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch 1-2

Three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin has found his way to the front of the field as the laps click away.

Hamlin is looking to become just the third driver to win more than three Daytona 500s, joining Richard Petty (seven) and Cale Yarborough (four). Kyle Busch, who is seeking his first Daytona 500 win in his 19th try, runs second.

Ryan Blaney wins Stage 2 of Daytona 500

Through 130 laps at Daytona International Speedway, Ryan Blaney holds the lead. He overtook Cindric off Turn 3 for the top spot on the final lap of Stage 2.

The rest of the top five: Cindric, Daniel Suarez, Kyle Busch and Tyler Reddick.

Todd Gilliland leads as Daytona 500 reaches halfway mark

Lap 100 has come and gone.

The top five: Todd Gilliland, Joey Logano, Martin Truex, Justin Haley, Tyler Reddick

Chase Elliott wins Stage 1 of Daytona 500

The first 65 laps and the first stage of the Daytona 500 is over, and Chase Elliott cashed in on the stage points by leading Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain across the stripe.

Alex Bowman and William Byron completed the top five.

Carson Hocevar, Harrison Burton, Kaz Grala out as green flag flies

Three drivers involved in the crash — Carson Hocevar, Harrison Burton and Kaz Grala — have all been checked and released from the infield care center. They are out of the Daytona 500.

Austin Dillon is off the track with damage and Jimmie Johnson is two laps down.

Daytona 500 enters 1st caution; Jimmie Johnson, Austin Dillon involved in wreck

Carson Hocevar and Harrison Burton were involved in the first wreck of the day off Turn 4, and the Daytona 500 has its first caution six laps in.

Austin Dillon, Jimmie Johnson and others endured varying degrees of damage. Burton and Hocevar are done for the day, while Dillon and Kaz Grala have falled multiple laps off the pace.

Daytona 500 underway as green flag flies

Polesitter Joey Logano led the 40 Cup Series cars to the start/finish line for the green flag, and the 66th running of the Daytona 500 is officially underway.

The first stage is set for 65 laps.

Daytona 500 engines fired, green flag less than 10 minutes away

The engines have been fired for the 66th Daytona 500. The green flag is set to wave at 4:30 p.m.

Daytona 500 national anthem complete, green flag imminent

The national anthem has been completed and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will soon give the command to start the engines.

The 66th Daytona 500 is finally ready to go green.

Daytona 500 on TV Monday

The Daytona 500 will air on Fox with prerace coverage set to start at 4 p.m. The green flag is slated to drop at 4:30.

Prior to that, the invocation and singing of the National Anthem are set to begin at 4:07. The command to start, given by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will happen at 4:18 p.m. followed by a flyover.

Daytona 500 start time

Coverage for the Daytona 500 begins on Fox at 4 p.m. but the green flag isn't set to wave until around 4:30. Driver introductions were beginning at 3:35 p.m.

Daytona 500 storylines aplenty

With the start of the race now an hour away, there are plenty of angles to watch as the Great American Race gets underway.

Among them, Jimmie Johnson, who has won two Daytona 500s (2006 and 2013) and seven Cup Series championships, tied with Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty for most all time. Also, Denny Hamlin, who's three Daytona 500 wins are most among active drivers.

Daytona 500 driver introductions up soon

Driver introductions for the 66th Daytona 500 are set for 3:35 p.m. in the Daytona International Speedway infield.

Daytona 500: To the rear!

Due to Thursday qualifying-race crashes and one bad engine, six drivers will drop to the rear of the field before the start: Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, William Byron, Noah Gragson, Daniel Hemric and Kaz Grala (he's the cooked engine).

When does Daytona 500 green flag fly?

You might keep hearing "4 o'clock" being thrown around for the start of today's Daytona 500. Well, you're actually gonna have to wait a little longer for the long-awaited start.

TV coverage starts at 4, on Fox, but after prerace chatter and whatnot, the green flag doesn't come out until 4:30.

'Cleanup in Turn 1'

Turn 1 at the Speedway is wearing a layer of Speedy Dry, thanks to a cleanup effort during the lunch hour, three-plus hours before the Daytona 500.

A pair of jet dryers — both part of the track-drying squadron — made contact with each other and one of them suffered a loss of jet fuel.

What else could go wrong on this long weekend? Never mind, forget we asked.

Daytona 500 weather: Sun is shining and cars are rolling to the track!

After days of clouds and rain, which pushed both the Daytona 500 and Xfinity Series race to Monday, the skies finally parted around noon and the sun began to shine.

Originally, the Xfinity Series race was set to start at 11 a.m. but the race was moved by NASCAR to 9 p.m. as rain persisted through the morning.

Cup Series crews were beginning to roll their cars onto pit road with the start of the 66th Great American Race just over three hours away.

Daytona 500 starting lineup

1. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

2. Michael McDowell, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

3. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

4. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

5. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

6. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford

7. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

8. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

9. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

10. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

11. Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

12. Harrison Burton, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

13. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

14. Zane Smith, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

15. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

16. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford

17. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

18. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

19. Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford

20. Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

21. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

22. Justin Haley, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford

23. Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

24. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota

25. Ryan Preece, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

26. Kaz Grala, No. 36 Front Row Motorsports Ford

27. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

28. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

29. Core LaJoie, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

30. David Ragan, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford

31. Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

32. Josh Berry, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

33. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

34. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford

35. Ricky Stenhouse, No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

36. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

37. Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

38. Riley Herbst, No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford

39. Anthony Alfredo, No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet

40. Noah Gragson, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

Daytona 500 odds

The latest betting odds for the Great American Race sees Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin as the favorites, both at +900:

• +900: Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin

• +1200: Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney

• +1300: Chase Elliott,

• +1500: Kyle Larson

• +1600: Christopher Bell

• +1750: Martin Truex. Jr., Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher, William Byron

• +2000: Michael McDowell, Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddick,

• +2500: Ross Chastain, Erik Jones, Austin Cindric,

• +3000: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon

Xfinity Series race moved to 9 p.m. Monday night

With rain still hammering the Daytona Beach area, NASCAR made the call to move the United Rentals 300, the opener in the Xfinity Series, has been moved to 9 p.m. with the Daytona 500 still scheduled to run at 4 p.m.

The race was originally scheduled to run at 5 p.m. on Saturday and was moved to 11 a.m. with rain settling in. That persisted through Sunday, necessitating the postponement of the Daytona 500 from Sunday.

Daytona 500 weather update: It's raining. Still.

Rain continues to fall at the World Center of Racing with the 11 a.m. scheduled start of the Xfinity Series' United Rentals 300 looking more and more in jeopardy.

The weather is forecasted to clear by late morning, but track-drying efforts generally take 2-3 hours. A 59% chance of rain still lingers at 10 a.m. before dropping to 15% at 11.

Daytona 500 start time, how to watch Daytona Xfinity race

The 2024 Daytona 500 is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. Monday, February 19 at Daytona International Speedway.

• When: 4 p.m. Monday, February 19

• TV: Fox

• Streaming: FoxSports.com and Fox Sports app (TV provider log-in required), fuboTV (7-day free trial), YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial)

Before that, the NASCAR Xfinity Series is scheduled to start the United Rentals 300 on Monday morning.

• When: 11 a.m. Monday, February 19

• TV: FS1 (Channel 219 on DirecTV, Channel 150 on Dish)

• Streaming: FoxSports.com and Fox Sports app (TV provider log-in required), fuboTV (7-day free trial), YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial)

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona 500 recap: William Byron claims Daytona 500 victory