DAYTONA BEACH — Before he geared up to win another Daytona 500, William Byron wanted to get away — far away, to a place where he could blend in and leave behind the grind and garage.A December trip unaccompanied to Japan provided Byron a reboot, a time for reflection, a lesson in self-sufficiency and an education.“It was really cool because I went there by myself, and I was really nervous about that,” Byron said late Sunday after going back-to-back in the Great American Race. “The first day and a half was really crazy, just being there and trying to figure out where to eat and what to do. But by the end of the trip, I had such a different perspective on my life and what I want to do back home and what I could learn from their culture.“It was just cool to be completely anonymous in a different country and not know anybody.”When Byron returned to work a few of weeks ago, he was rejuvenated and ready, as evidenced by Sunday night’s improbable win going from ninth place to Victory Lane on the final lap.Even so, Byron’s offseason absence was still a headscratcher at Hendrick Motorsports.“I still don’t believe that he went by himself,” joked NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon, now the company’s vice chairman. “I’m still trying to get all the answers to that.”Whatever Byron did worked to deliver Hendrick Motorsports a record 10th Daytona 500 victory, one more than Petty Enterprises.“I spoke to him on the phone, and that’s one of the first things he said is: ‘We got No. 10,’ ” Gordon said of Hall of Fame owner Rick Hendrick. “It means a lot to him.”With the race seemingly out of reach as the No. 24 Chevrolet underperformed, Byron kept his head and seized an 11thhour opportunity similar to his 2024 victory.“I just kept getting more pissed off as the race went on,” he said. “I wasn’t taking advantage of it because my car was really good.”But during a furious two-lap overtime dash, a crash knocked out leader Denny Hamlin — in position to win his fourth Daytona 500 championship — and 2022 winner Austin Cindric, who led a race-high 59 laps, to clear a path for Byron during the final stretch of Sunday’s 201-lap, eight-hour, weatherplagued affair delayed more than 3 1/2 hours.“Last year that win brought me to tears,” longtime crew chief Rudy Fugle ...
