Byron will drive backup; Busch wins pole

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — William Byron will try to drive his way into NASCAR history Sunday when he attempts to become the first winner of three consecutive Daytona 500s.He'll have to do it in a backup Chevrolet after his preferred No. 24 was damaged in a qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway.No big deal, though: Byron won his first Daytona 500 in 2024 in a Hendrick Motorsports backup car."We've won this race with a backup car, so I'm not super worried on that aspect," Byron said. "But it does suck that you put a lot of work into the primary and you don't get to race it."He will start 39th in the 41-car field in NASCAR's season opener but isn't concerned about being in the back of the pack. Byron was hardly dominant in winning the last two Daytona 500s — he led a total combined 14 laps in both victories — and his success has been rooted in being in the right place at the right time.No driver in 67 previous Daytona 500s has won "The Great American Race" three years in a row. Richard Petty in 1975, Cale Yarborough in 1985, Sterling Marlin in 1996 and Denny Hamlin in 2021 all came up short."It's hard. You're going to need things to fall your way," Hamlin said of Byron's chances. "In 2021, I legit thought we were going to get (it). We led the most laps in that race, was really fast, but didn't work out on the last pit sequence."Byron came from nowhere last year — he was ninth at the start of the final lap of overtime — when a monstrous wreck in front of him allowed Byron to squeeze through and snag the win after leading all of 10 laps the entire day. He led only four laps in 2024 — and dropped as low as 34th during the race — but again was in position to pounce when it mattered. He navigated a last-lap scramble to take the lead right before a caution flag froze the field to win under yellow. Busch on pole Kyle Busch starts on the pole for the first time in his 21 attempts to win the Daytona 500, and at 0 for 20, his drought is the longest among active drivers in the field.Even worse, Busch takes a 93-race losing streak into Sunday that dates to 2023, his first season driving for Richard Childress Racing. It's a frustrating drought for Busch, a two-time NASCAR champion with 63 career Cup wins.His 10-year-old son, Brexton, watched his father win the pole from the family motorhome in the infield and fell back onto a couch in anxiousness after watching his dad's qualifying run. "It's been a rough stretch. It's no secret, right? Seeing my son and his passion that he has, he really, really is probably my biggest cheerleader," Busch said. "He wants to celebrate in victory lane like he sees other drivers' kids being able to do. So there's nothing more that drives me every single weekend than seeing him see me, be proud of me."Odds and endsJoey Logano and Chase Elliott won their qualifying races earlier in the week to emerge as strong contenders... Dale Jarrett is the last driver to win from the pole in 2000... Jimmie Johnson and rookie Connor Zilisch start side-by-side in 31st and 32nd as row 16 pairs the oldest and youngest drivers in the field. Johnson is 50 and Zilisch is 19... Logano and his Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney are the betting favorites at plus-1200.