What to know about William Byron, the 2024 Daytona 500 winner

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William Byron drove the No. 24 Chevrolet to Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway on Monday night, picking up the first Daytona 500 victory of his career.

Byron avoided getting caught up in a wreck on Lap 192 that involved 18 cars and brought out the red flag. When the race restarted, he popped out to the front just ahead of Ross Chastain and then picked up the win as a crash occurred behind him on the final lap.

"It sounds really damn good," he said when asked by FOX Sports’ Jamie Little how Daytona 500 champion sounded to him. "… Just extremely blessed and thankful for all the opportunities. We just want to keep it going. We have a lot of prove this year. And this is a good start.

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William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the Daytona 500 on Feb. 19, 2024, in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

"And Daytona 500 … it’s frickin’ awesome!"

Byron is in his sixth NASCAR Cup Series season but took an unconventional path to get to the highest levels of stock car racing. While most drivers start with go-karts or racing modified vehicles early in life, Byron came up through iRacing.

"I started racing on iRacing, which is unique and very different than how other guys start racing," Byron said, per the Hendrick Motorsports website in 2018. "I didn’t run go-karts as a kid, I didn’t really grow up in a racing family."

He said at the time he used the simulator as a tool to sharpen his skills.

"It’s something you use to hone your skills at a higher level instead of just going on there and picking up a controller."

He won more than