After Daytona 500, William Byron won't be the 'other guy' anymore

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Overlooked and underappreciated. That's the perception that has driven newly crowned Daytona 500 champion William Byron to achievements beyond his imagination.

Byron learned how to race on a computer, and when team owner Rick Hendrick promoted him to the NASCAR Cup Series as a 20-year-old in 2018, there were plenty of skeptics who looked askance at the move.

At 26, Byron is the youngest driver in an organization that includes six-time most popular driver Chase Elliott, who won the 2020 series championship; and Kyle Larson, the 2021 champion who often is described as a generational talent across a multitude of racing platforms.

"I'm the other guy," Byron said on Monday night after doing what no other Hendrick driver has been able to do since Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Daytona 500 in 2014.

In fact, Byron is the only current Hendrick driver who has ever won a Cup points event on the Daytona oval, where he claimed the first of his 11 career victories in the 2020 summer race.

Last year, Byron won a series-best six races and qualified for the Championship 4, finishing third in the final standings. Nevertheless, despite his obvious flair for superspeedway racing, the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet opened at disrespectful 18-to-1 odds for the Daytona 500 at DraftKings Sportsbook.

"Yeah, I use it all as fuel, so just keep it coming," Byron said. "All the preseason predictions and everything. I just try to stay quietly focused. I feel like for me, I do well having my own space and being able to work through the things with my race team...

"I don't read too much into it. I'm never going to be the most vocal guy. I just enjoy getting in the race car and putting the helmet on and going to work. That's what I've always