Reddick Wins Daytona 500 With Incredible Last-Lap Drive
Fuel strategy and huge wrecks set the stage for a thrilling finish to this year’s Great American Race.
The NASCAR season is off to an exciting start after the Daytona 500. The excitement started before the engines had even fired, as the start time was moved up one hour to 1:30 PM in an effort to beat a rainstorm rolling in. While the weather at the start appeared pleasant, the winds whipped mercilessly and the sky gradually turned grey as the race went on. It was an apt metaphor for a race defined by careful fuel-saving strategy, interrupted by huge bursts of excitement.
Those bursts of excitement came in the form of massive wrecks which removed many great cars from contention. This included the front row starters Kyle Busch and Chase Briscoe, who were both unable to avoid damage in wrecks. At a superspeedway like Daytona, the slightest bit of body damage can severely hamper your aerodynamics, and, by extension, your shot at winning. Before their cars were damaged, both seemed to have dominant equipment.
In the end, multiple last-lap fracases resulted in an exhilarating finish. Carson Hocevar, who began the final lap in second place, found himself finishing a baffling 18th. It seemed like Chase Elliot was poised to take the victory, but an incredible heads-up drive from Tyler Reddick won the Harley Earl Trophy, stunning the crowd and beating the storm – and the rest of the field. He materialized seemingly out of nowhere, zig-zagging his way through the frontrunners to take the checkered flag as chaos erupted behind him.
It was a great day for 23XI racing, co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan. After a disappointing end to the 2025 season from Hamlin, a stressful, but ultimately productive lawsuit, and a winless season for Reddick, this win truly meant something special for everyone involved. It didn’t hurt that all three permanent 23XI chartered cars (Reddick, Riley Herbst, and Bubba Wallace) finished in the top 10, either. Front Row Motorsports, who also participated in the lawsuit, saw Zane Smith finish in sixth. For both teams, the results demonstrate that they belong in NASCAR and are here to stay.
Photo: Getty Images