Following a Duel at Daytona accident the previous evening, Blake Harris, the crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48 Chevrolet, went to work on the backup machine Thursday, Feb. 13. The NASCAR Cup Series team toiled to match his teammate’s performance last season.
William Byron, who captured Sunday’s rain-delayed Daytona 500 win for a second straight season, accomplished the feat in 2024 with his primary ride out of commission. He earned his second Harley J. Earl Trophy by avoiding a multi-car overtime crash, winning from ninth to first on the final lap.
One of seven pilots forced to start the race from the rear in backup rides, Alex Bowman challenged for the lead in the middle stages before finishing P6.
NASCAR Cup Series’ Alex Bowman Gets P6 in Backup Car
Earning top-five finishes over the past two season-opening events at the 2.5-mile banked oval, Bowman battled Ryan Preece for the lead on Lap 99 but failed to hold the advantage. Preece became the 31st driver in the past 33 years to lead at the halfway point and failed to earn a trip to Victory Lane.
Checkered flag is out at @DAYTONA! @Alex_Bowman and the #Ally48 team finish P6. đź‘Ź pic.twitter.com/E1F09MWTP4
— Ally Racing (@allyracing) February 17, 2025
Three laps later, Bowman, on the bottom groove, raced alongside Austin Cindric and Preece for the lead.
Bowman led for 11 laps and avoided major damage from the three major melees in the closing 14 laps but fell short of his teammate.
“Yeah, obviously some good fortune, but I trusted my instincts on the last lap there,” Byron told Fox Sports. “I felt like they were getting squirrelly on the bottom, and I was honestly going to go third lane regardless because I was probably sixth coming down the back.
“Just obviously fortunate that it worked out in our favor.”
Bowman Leads Field of Drivers in Backup Cars
While Bowman managed to avoid the melee, most of the other drivers forced into backup cars were taken out late as Byron claimed back-to-back titles.
Riley Herbst ran fifth on the overtime lap and was bumped along the trioval. He saved the No. 35 Toyota briefly but finished P17.
Brad Keselowski (P26) and Kyle Larson (P20) were involved in the accident with four laps remaining, which forced overtime.
Ty Gibbs, who narrowly missed Preece’s wheelie crash on Lap 196, finished P16, while Justin Haley placed 19th and Shane van Gisbergen 33rd. Preece told Fox Sports he felt thankful he was able to walk away from his second airborne accident at Daytona.
“I don’t know what (makes) these cars like a sheet of plywood when you walk out on a windy day,” Preece said. “When the car took off like that, and it got quiet, all I thought about was my daughter. So, I’m lucky to walk away.”
The Preece-Bell crash from Ty Gibbs perspective. pic.twitter.com/hiYNxcnp7a
— Team 54 (@Team54Updates) February 17, 2025