DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- When the white flag waved at Daytona International Speedway, William Byron was ninth in the running order. One lap later, he won his second Daytona 500.
How this happened could only be described with one word -- chaos.
"Crazy. I can't honestly believe that," Byron told Fox Sports after winning the race. "But we're here. So proud of it."
Austin Cindric was in the lead with Denny Hamlin right behind him. The rest of the drivers on the lead lap followed as they tried to find the best lane to be in position for the best finish.
Hamlin dove to the outside of Cindric on the backstretch and made a push for the lead while Cole Custer took the field three-wide. All of a sudden, Custer veered left and hooked Hamlin.
WILLIAM BYRON WINS THE DAYTONA 500! AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/hPvnCkcNRa
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The No. 11 spun toward the outside wall while Byron and Tyler Reddick raced past and out of harm's way. Ty Gibbs spun behind them and slammed into Cody Ware, sending the No. 51 up the track.
"Obviously some good fortune, but just trusted my instincts on the last lap there," Byron said. "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."
Unlike the Duel races, the Tower let the race remain green all the way to the start-finish line. Byron beat Reddick and won his second consecutive Daytona 500. Jimmie Johnson crossed the line third in what was his best finish in a Gen 7 car.
"This feels incredible. I have emotions that I didn't expect to have," Johnson said on pit road after the race. I've never been in this position as an owner, and it's really opened up a different set of emotions.
"And the pride that I have in this result and the pride that I have in this company, now that we're trying to achieve and the journey we're on, I am so satisfied, so happy right now."
Byron is now the 12th driver in NASCAR Cup Series history with at least two Daytona 500 wins.
He joins Michael Waltrip (two), Johnson (two), Sterling Marlin (two), Matt Kenseth (two), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two), Bill Elliott (two), Denny Hamlin (three), Jeff Gordon (three), Dale Jarrett (three), Bobby Allison (three), Cale Yarborough (four), and Richard Petty (seven).