When the checkered flag fell on Sunday night to conclude the 67th running of the Daytona 500, driver William Byron in the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports crossed the line to win the Great American Race for the second straight year.
Of the five members on the winning pit crew for the No. 24 team, one was a former Clemson Tiger. After the race had eluded him for over a decade, Landon Walker won his second Daytona 500 in as many years. A former offensive tackle for Clemson, he transitioned from football to motorsports after college and is now the fueler for William Byron.
Walker played for the Tigers from 2008 to 2011 and was part of the team when head coach Dabo Swinney won his first ACC championship. During his time at Clemson, Walker played a school-record 3,131 snaps and was an honorable mention All-ACC selection in 2011.
With 50 laps to go in the race, Walker was interviewed on the live broadcast by NASCAR about how he managed the pressure as the race was winding down to the final pit stop.
“Over time, after 13 years of doing this, just experience and confidence you develop,” he told FOX’s Regan Smith. “Especially working with such a speedway guy like William.
We’ve been put in these positions quite a bit, and over that time, like I said, you just get used to it, and the guys around me make me better. When you’re on this team, you really don’t have an option but to put it on your back when it’s time to go for that fuel-only stop down the stretch.”
As Walker left the track with yet another Daytona 500 victory, another former Tiger’s chance at winning was cut short with just five laps remaining.
Walker’s former teammate, Jonathan “Tig” Willard, was a linebacker at Clemson from 2008-12 and joined Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing last September. Beginning this season in a new role, Willard is now the tire carrier for the No. 60 Ford Mustang of Ryan Preece.
After running toward the front with under five laps to go, Willard and the No. 60 team had a chance to win the race with Preece after leading six laps earlier in the going.
However, a bad push sent a car spinning in front of the rest of the pack as the field approached four laps to go. Suddenly, Preece’s front tires were lifted off the ground for nearly two seconds before he went flipping on his roof and ending his race.
The two former Tigers will continue their seasons this Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. As Willard’s team hopes to turn their luck around, Walker’s will look to keep the momentum rolling.
