Aside from a nervous moment on the first stop for Byron – who missed his stall after a near-collision with teammate Alex Bowman, whom he later would outduel for his 11th career win – the Daytona 500 went off without a hitch with most of the pressure on Walker, who made four fuel-only stops among the team’s seven.

“I am used to it, but it doesn’t ever get easier,” Walker said. “When it gets down to that moment of a fuel-only stop to potentially put yourself in position to win the race, it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve done it. It feels like the first time.”
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Chris Graythen | Getty ImagesThe No. 24 pit crew got home at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday and had the day off. They were back at it Wednesday. Their Thursday morning pit practice ended with a red Cadillac Escalade V-Series driving the opposite way through the concrete launch pad. Team owner Rick Hendrick was behind the wheel, personally congratulating each team member who has made its share of history.

After delivering Hendrick Motorsports’ 300th victory last year, Byron gave the team a record-tying ninth Daytona 500 win (matching Petty Enterprises) on the 40th anniversary to the day of Hendrick’s first Cup start.

With so much to celebrate, the team threw another party Thursday night in Charlotte for a proper fete of the Daytona 500 triumph without time constraints.

“There are pit crew guys that go 10 or 12 years in a career and never win a race in all three divisions,” Ossowski said. “Every single one we celebrate like it’s our last because you owe it to yourself to be in the moment.”

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MEET THE PIT CREW WHO PULLED THE DOUBLE

Ryan Patton: Tire Carrier
Hometown: Delphos, Ohio
Ohio Northern University
Has been at Hendrick Motorsports since August 2011 and was part of Jimmie Johnson’s championship teams.

Spencer Bishop: Jack Man
Hometown: Pine Hurst, North Carolina
Wake Forest University tight end from 2009-12.

Jeff Cordero: Front Tire Changer
Hometown: Salem, Connecticut
Was formerly at Joe Gibbs Racing from 2018-21 and won a championship with Kyle Busch.

Orane Ossowski: Rear Tire Changer
Hometown: Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada
Attended UNC Charlotte, interning with the chassis and composite shop at Hendrick before transferring to the pit department four years later.
One of a very small group of left-handed tire changers on pit road.
MUST WATCHNASCAR Cup Series

Inside the latest chapter of Kyle Busch’s pursuit to win the Daytona 500

By Zach Sturniolo

NASCAR.com

Published: 13 Hours Ago

24 Minute Read


Zach Sturniolo NASCAR.comKyle Busch has been chasing the Daytona 500 since 2005. The man with more than 200 NASCAR national series wins and two NASCAR Cup Series championships has just one thing missing from his personal trophy case – the Harley J. Earl Trophy.

This year was Busch’s 19th attempt in the “Great American Race” to try and get it.

The No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team gave NASCAR.com access to shadow the program at Daytona International Speedway, starting with Thursday’s Bluegreen Vacations Duels through the checkered flag of the Daytona 500.

Follow along for a behind-the-scenes look at the team’s weekend in the 66th annual running of the Daytona 500.

THURSDAY

After starting Duel 2 fourth, Busch was involved in a significant crash on Lap 47 that ended his night in the qualifying race for the Daytona 500
Jared C. Tilton | Getty ImagesPOST-WRECK: The No. 8 Chevrolet is towed to the far corner of the auxiliary garage. Most of the splitter is torn away, while scuffs decorate the vinyl wrap of the blue and green Camaro down the right side.

Within five minutes, the crew gets the car on jack stands, opens the hood and begins inspecting the rear deck lid with crew chief Randall Burnett. Car chief Clay Alexander struggles to rip the right-rear wheel off the car. Burnett and a NASCAR official inspect the inner wheel well of the right rear.

Officials reserve the right to decide whether a team fixes its primary car or swaps to a backup. The team’s backup car is already wrapped with the appropriate paint scheme, saving the team hours of additional work.

There’s also a sense of déjà vu: Busch crashed in the 2023 duel and used a backup car for the Daytona 500. He led at Lap 200 — the race’s scheduled conclusion — but the race went to overtime, where Busch was involved in a race-ending wreck.

At 9:52 p.m., Andy Petree, Richard Childress Racing’s vice president of competition, appears at the side of the No. 8 car. He finds Burnett and the two discuss the situation as the crew continues to assess the primary car while prepping parts for the backup.

“It’s just distressing,” Petree says. “We wrecked a lot last year — way too much. Kind of demoralizing to start off the whole thing here wrecking again. It’s just like last year. But I mean we rebounded very well and put ourselves in position to win the 500, just to get wrecked again. But we’re gonna keep fighting. This team’s got a lot of fight left. But it’s just a kick in the gut to have it happen again.”

Petree has been associated with elite superspeedway cars for the last 24 years, dating back to his days as a team owner with Andy Petree Racing and its then-alliance with RCR and Dale Earnhardt Inc. That RCR is a contender at every superspeedway is intentional.

“We do it on purpose,” Petree says. “This is the biggest race of our season so it means a lot to be good here and so we put a lot of emphasis on it. We put a lot of focus on it. I would say some years, maybe we put too much focus on it. You have the most time to prepare for the Daytona 500. You’ve got all offseason. You put all hands on deck. It’s just one of those priorities that Richard had and RCR had over the years.”

By 11:17 p.m., an enormous amount of work has been done. A new engine and all driveline parts are installed on the approved backup car as the crew works diligently. Had it gone unused, this car was previously slated as the team’s primary car for Atlanta. Heads are down, focused on the tasks at hand. The fabric protective cover is laid over the primary car at 11:18, and two minutes later, the backup is covered, ready to rest until tomorrow.