The 2025 Daytona 500 is in the books. Let’s look at how drivers and teams fared.
Biggest Winner- William Byron
William Byron makes it back-to-back in the Daytona 500. The luckiest driver of the night was 9th on the backstretch of the final lap. He avoided a major accident and came out on top. I gained respect for him after his post-race interview. He acknowledged the win was lucky. At Daytona, it is always better to be lucky.
Biggest Loser- Team Penske
It was a race of what could have been for Team Penske. All three of its drivers dominated the first two stages. Joey Logano and Ricky Stenhouse’s tussle for position ended that dominance. The wreck collected both Logano and Ryan Blaney. Austin Cindric didn’t give up and was collected in the last lap crash for the win.
Winner- One Race Deal Drivers
Jimmie Johnson and Justin Allgaier both had Top 10 finishes. Corey LaJoie and Helio Castroneves had impressive runs, even if the results didn’t reflect it. The joy of Daytona is seeing part-time older guys show their talent.
Loser- TrackHouse
Pitbull pulled out of the team effective immediately. Three of its four cars were involved in an early accident. It was a rough week for the team.
Winner- The fans
The race had an exciting finish and wasn’t pushed to Monday. The fans can go home happy after a questionable week.
Loser- Ryan Preece
Another Daytona race, another major crash for Preece. I’m just glad he was able to walk away uninjured.
Winner- Riley Herbst
That save at the end deserves a shout-out. While it took him out of contention for the win, he still finished in the top half of the field.
Winner/Loser- Tyler Reddick
They started the season with a second-place finish but ran out of room for the win. Reddick was closing quickly on Byron at the end. While the second is an amazing start to the season, you know he wanted the win.
Winner/Loser- Myself
My pick to win finished 40th, worst of any staff pick. I didn’t place a bet on PrizePicks, so that’s a win.
Image Credit: Sean Gardner/Getty Images
