Sports
With Daytona 500 win, William Byron has arrived as NASCAR's next superstar
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Can’t-miss prospect. Prodigy. Future superstar. These are all labels that were placed on William Byron as he ascended NASCAR’s development ladder. Some drivers who have this heavy praise lavished on them don’t meet the expectations. Somewhere along the way, the rocket fizzles and the once-promising career doesn’t pan out as envisioned. They plateau. The opportunities don’t materialize.
It’s a story that has played out many times throughout NASCAR’s history. But Byron is quite the exception. Already, at age 26, he’s proven to be the can’t-miss prospect that didn’t miss.
He won big in his lone year in the Truck Series in 2016. He won the 2017 Xfinity Series championship as a rookie. Driving for Hendrick Motorsports since his Cup debut, he earned Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2018, then qualified for the playoffs the next season and every season since. And after his Daytona 500 triumph Monday night, he now boasts 11 victories at NASCAR’s top level. Maybe that figure seems low at first blush considering Byron is in his seventh year in Cup, but since 2020 — the season he won his first race — his 11 wins are more than former Cup champions Joey Logano (9), Martin Truex Jr. (8), Kyle Busch (7), and Brad Keselowski (5) have during that same span.
Whatever “it” is that separates great drivers from those merely good, Byron has it in abundance. And he’s only going to get better as he gains additional experience. His initial foray into racing came via iRacing, an online racing simulation, and he didn’t start driving actual race cars until he was a teenager, as opposed to most other Cup drivers who started much younger in Legends or go-karts.
“That talent is one thing, but then the race craft and the work ethic and all these other things that come along with it,” Hendrick vice chairman Jeff Gordon said while celebrating in victory lane. “How you communicate what a race car is actually doing so your team can make it go faster and how you work together as a team. That’s the remarkable thing to me. And clearly, he’s unique and special in a way that …”
Before Gordon could finish his thought, the roar of the ongoing Xfinity Series race interrupted him. Nonetheless, his point was obvious: Byron is a unicorn. A generational talent who every step along the way has risen to meet the expectations before him, regardless of how high the bar is set.
“Everybody said he had natural talent,” Byron’s mother, Dana Byron, said about her son. “He caught on so quickly (when he first started racing) that by a couple of months in, he was beating everybody. At first, he wasn’t and then he just kept studying and studying and practicing.”
Byron maybe didn’t need a Daytona 500 win to cement his status as NASCAR’s next superstar. He already stamped his mark last year in a breakout 2023 season that included winning a series-best six races and ranking first in top-fives, top-10s and average finish, as well as second in laps led.
William Byron hugs his mother, Dana, after winning Monday’s Daytona 500. “Everybody said he had natural talent,” Dana Byron says of her son’s rise in NASCAR. (James Gilbert / Getty Images)
But one tremendous season does not define a career nor make a legacy. This comes over time, stacking one great season after another, filled with gaudy statistics like Byron racked up last year. If you only do this once, well, people tend to throw around the dreaded “F” word (fluke).
A student of the sport, Byron understands this reality. He’s seen drivers win big one year, stumble the next and never recapture their winning mojo. Those around him say this is part of what motivates him. Team owner Rick Hendrick described Byron as carrying a “chip” with him into the 2024 season, and Byron agreed.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get that chip off my shoulder,” Byron said. “It’s always been there. It’s just I’m very quiet about it. I don’t know. There’s always reasons to find. We didn’t win the championship (last year, when he finished third), and we don’t get talked about the most, and other people get more publicity, things like that, and I feel like I just — whatever I find, I use as motivation.
“It’s just the way I’ve always been internally. I don’t express that a lot. But it definitely burns inside. I feel like that’s what fuels your offseasons a lot of times is just what can I find, what little edge can I find to be the best. There’s still tons to learn. I can be a lot more complete in the car, and I feel like your race craft and things are always evolving, and just trying to be a better version inside the car with my team.”
Even within the Hendrick organization, Byron is often looked at as the “other guy,” something that he readily acknowledges — and that adds motivation. When your teammates include Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, each former Cup champions widely regarded as among NASCAR’s elite, it can be easy to get glossed over.
The only way to change this perception is to win, both races and championships.
“I use it all as fuel, so just keep it coming,” Byron said. “All the preseason predictions and everything.”
What Byron is, though, and what Larson and Elliott are not yet, is a Daytona 500 winner. Within Hendrick, only Byron carries this distinction. He also has more wins than Larson and Elliott since the start of last season.
“Today was a major step,” Gordon said. “I think the Championship Four last year and then following that up with the Daytona 500, he’s well on his way.”
This point Byron drove home Monday night before a national television audience, emphatically announcing his status as NASCAR’s next superstar. Not only has he arrived, it’s also clear that he’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
GO DEEPER
Anonymous NASCAR garage poll: Who wins the Cup crown? Biggest disappointment?
(Top photo: Jeff Robinson / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Sports
Orioles’ Craig Albernaz says he must eat baby food for weeks after foul ball to face leads to 7 fractures
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Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz has seven fractures in his orbital area as well as a broken jaw after taking a foul ball to the face, but he remains in the dugout with his squad.
However, Albernaz has one big change to his daily routine over the next month or so. He needs to eat baby food.
The injury occurred on Monday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks, as the foul ball came whipping toward the Orioles’ dugout and hit Albernaz square on the right side of his face. But he was back at Camden Yards on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after suffering his multiple facial injuries.
Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz looks on before an MLB game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field in Chicago, Ill., on April 8, 2026. (Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire)
Reports from Baltimore state that he has a visible bruise on the right side of his face, and that he will need to consume baby food for the next six weeks as his face heals.
“This is what we’re here for,” Albernaz said to reporters, per the Baltimore Banner. “We’re here for the players. We have a game. I’m physically able to be here, so let’s go.… If my jaw was wired shut, I’d still be here.”
ORIOLES MANAGER CRAIG ALBERNAZ TAKES LINE DRIVE TO FACE IN TERRIFYING SCENE
Albernaz said he felt “pretty good” considering the circumstances from Monday night’s foul ball off the bat of one of his own, Jeremiah Jackson.
“Ball hit me pretty flush in the cheek, but I feel good,” he added. “Luckily, no surgery. I think all in all, it was at least seven fractures in my cheek area, orbital, and then a broken jaw. But luckily, it doesn’t have to be wired. No surgery. I just have to eat baby food for six weeks.”
Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz stands on the field before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Md., on Apr. 10, 2026. (Mitch Stringer/Imagn Images)
Albernaz, like many managers, was standing at the top of the dugout steps when Jackson was late to a pitch that shot immediately toward his teammates and coaches. It’s an unfortunate situation for Albernaz, but the first-time MLB manager is clearly showing his grit and resilience for his squad.
They also showed it for him on Monday night, as they were trailing at that point in the game. However, the Orioles rallied to win the game 9-7.
A lot of that had to do with Jackson, who bashed two home runs, including a grand slam in the victory.
“I hit, and then I kind of saw Alby holding his face,” Jackson told reporters. “My heart kind of dropped. I was able to see him afterward and see he was doing OK.… Knowing he was OK helped. It made me feel a little bit better. I’m just happy he’s doing OK and in good spirits.”
Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz talks to media in the dugout before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago on April 8, 2026. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)
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The Orioles’ win keeps them tied with the New York Yankees atop the AL East standings at 9-7.
Albernaz will continue to lead the way in the dugout moving forward, even if his diet does have to change.
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Sports
NFL reporter Dianna Russini resigns after photos published of her and Patriots coach Mike Vrabel
NFL reporter Dianna Russini has resigned from The Athletic days after the New York Post’s Page Six published photos of her and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel interacting at an Arizona resort.
The photos appear to show Russini and Vrabel holding hands, hugging and sitting a hot tub and a swimming pool. In the April 7 article that accompanied the photos in the Post’s Page Six, Russini and Vrabel — both of whom are married to other people — gave statements denying anything inappropriate was happening between them.
The article also included a statement from Steven Ginsberg, executive editor of The Athletic, who expressed full support of Russini and said the photos “are misleading and lack essential context.” The New York Times, which owns The Athletic, reported days later that the digital sports outlet would conduct an investigation into the matter.
Russini submitted her letter of resignation to Ginsberg on Tuesday, then posted it on X. In it, Russini states she has “no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept.”
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,” Russini wrote. “When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful. In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.
“Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks. … Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”
The New York Times confirmed Russini’s resignation but declined to comment further for this article.
Page Six wrote Tuesday that it received a statement from Ginsberg following Russini’s resignation.
“When this situation was brought to our attention last week, there were clear concerns,” Ginsberg wrote, according to Page Six, “but we received a detailed explanation and it was our instinct to support and defend a colleague while we continued to review the matter.”
But as “additional information emerged,” Ginsberg wrote, according to Page Six, “new questions were raised that became part of our investigation.” Ginsberg’s statement did not elaborate on the “new questions.”
The investigation is ongoing, according to Page Six.
Russini joined The Athletic in 2023 after nearly a decade at ESPN, where her roles included “SportsCenter” anchor and NFL analyst and insider. Vrabel was a three-time Super Bowl champion as a Patriots linebacker and was head coach of the Tennessee Titans from 2018-2023 before returning to New England as head coach last season.
In Page Six’s initial article last week, Russini said the photos of her and Vrabel “don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day.” Vrabel said in the same article: “Those photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sports
Orioles manager Craig Albernaz takes line drive to face in terrifying scene
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Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz was involved in a terrifying moment during the team’s victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night.
Albernaz was struck by a line drive off the bat of Orioles second baseman Jeremiah Jackson in the fifth inning. The ball hit the manager’s left cheek and he left to be looked at by the team’s medical staff.
Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz talks to media in the dugout before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago on April 8, 2026. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)
Albernaz briefly returned to the game after Jackson hit a grand slam to help the Orioles to the 9-7 win.
“He’s doing good. Just as a precaution, he’s going to get it scanned,” Orioles bench coach Donnie Ecker said.
Jackson said he had a sunken feeling when he saw Albernaz in pain after the errant liner.
“I hit and then I kind of saw Alby holding his face. My heart kind of dropped,” Jackson said. “I was able to see him afterward and see he was doing OK.”
AVALANCHE COACH TAKES PUCK TO THE FACE, WILL MISS FINAL REGULAR-SEASON GAMES
Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz stands on the field before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Md., on Apr. 10, 2026. (Mitch Stringer/Imagn Images)
“Knowing he was OK helped. It made me feel a little bit better,” Jackson added. “I’m just happy he’s doing OK and in good spirits.”
Albernaz and Jackson embraced after the infielder hit the big home run in the sixth inning.
“That was awesome,” Jackson said of the impromptu embrace from his manager. “You never want to hurt anybody, and Alby’s awesome. It sucked. But he wore it well and he’s in good spirits so it made me feel better.”
Albernaz is in his first year as Baltimore’s manager. He served as a bench coach and assistant manager for the Cleveland Guardians in 2024 and 2025.
Baltimore Orioles’ Jeremiah Jackson rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Baltimore on April 13, 2026. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP)
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Baltimore improved to 9-7 with the win and are tied with the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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