Tyler Reddick Wins 68th Daytona 500

Tyler Reddick won the 68th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, driving the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing. His win was the first for his race team and co-owners Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, and his first time winning a NASCAR Cup Series race since 2024.

The buildup to Reddick’s win saw several drivers get a taste of the lead in the final lap of the race. When the field took the white flag, it was Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar in the lead, competing in just his third Daytona 500. An ill-fated block against Erik Jones eliminated both those drivers from contention, along with Michael McDowell.

Securing the Win

The wreck that ended the race. ⓒ Eryn Harris

From that moment, fan-favorite Chase Elliott surged out to the lead with help from Stage 1 winner Zane Smith. Elliott led out of Turn 4, and held it until the victory was well within his sight. In the final seconds of the race, Reddick executed a perfectly-formed pass of Elliott and snagged the win for himself. Meanwhile, Riley Herbst was hooked into the wall while trying to pass Elliott from the other side, ricocheting him back down the track and into Elliott. Most of the cars immediately behind Reddick were wiped out, allowing the 30-year-old to take the win.

Carson Hocevar (77) leads the field to the white flag. ⓒ Eryn Harris

“We had the lead there when that caution came out, lined up next to McDowell, and we just kind of kept getting hung a couple times in the closing laps there,” Reddick said. “My teammate Riley Herbst gave me a lot of pushes there and then tried to win the race for himself, as he should at the end there. Just incredible how it all played out. Just true Daytona madness. It’s going to be a long night if I’ve already lost my voice from screaming. Never thought I’d be Daytona 500 champion.”

“This really sucks to be that close and come off Turn 4 with the lead and not finish it off,” Elliott commented after his heavy hit into the outside wall at the finish. “But that’s part of this event, and unfortunately we were on the bad end of it today.”

Michael Jordan: Daytona 500 Champion

ⓒ Eryn Harris

The win was significant in large part because it elevated NASCAR’s most famous team owner to a new level of success. Michael Jordan, basketball legend and billionaire business mogul, was in attendance to witness the biggest win 23XI Racing has had since he co-founded it in 2021.

“We hung in there all day,” Jordan said. “Great strategy by the team, and we gave ourselves a chance at the end. Look, I’m ecstatic. I don’t even know what to say. It feels like I won a championship, but until I get my ring, I won’t even know.”

Mad Dash for History

For Reddick, the glory of a Daytona 500 win came on his eighth attempt in the race. He’s fortunate to cross such a lofty accomplishment off his bucket list as early as he did; NASCAR veterans Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski have now failed in their first 21 and 17 attempts respectively.

Chase Elliott was as close as ever to his first Daytona 500 win. ⓒ Eryn Harris

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. managed to finish second through the chaos, barely escaping unscathed in his No. 47 Chevrolet. Joey Logano finished third, despite his No. 22 Ford having begun to crash as he crossed the line. Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet was scored fourth, while Keselowski finished fifth in his No. 6 Ford.

Reddick’s team owner Denny Hamlin spent much of the race in contention for his fourth Daytona 500 win as a driver. That ended when rookie Corey Heim, who also drives for 23XI Racing, made contact with Hamlin and inadvertently sent him into the outside wall. The wreck also collected Christopher Bell, who was beginning to establish himself as a late-race favorite. Also eliminated early was Justin Allgaier who was in the second ever NASCAR race for Dale Earnhardt Jr’s team, JR Motorsports. Allgaier was in the lead when an ill-timed block on Hamlin resulted in him slamming into the wall.

Much of the race was run with the threat of rain looming. The start time of the event was moved an hour earlier to give it a better chance of ending before weather forced an early stoppage. As it so happened, raindrops began to fall as teams were still loading up their cars. The Daytona 500 ended under heavy cloud cover, but it went the full distance without delay.

Making the Show

Justin Allgaier (40) hits the wall, ending his race early. ⓒ Eryn Harris

For several drivers, the path to competing in the Daytona 500 was not a certain one. Eight teams came to Daytona International Speedway without a charter that guaranteed their place in each of the season’s 36 NASCAR Cup Series races. Those drivers were Anthony Alfredo, Justin Allgaier, Corey Heim, Jimmie Johnson, Corey LaJoie, BJ McLeod, Chandler Smith, and JJ Yeley.

Johnson was the first of these drivers to guarantee his entry into the race, accepting an open exemption provisional for notable drivers so that they can be a 41st car should they fail to qualify through the speed trials and the Duel races.

Defending Craftsman Truck Series champion Corey Heim and 2024 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Justin Allgaier then locked in their spots during qualifying as the two fastest open cars. In Thursday’s pair of Duel races, the final two starting positions were decided: Casey Mears advanced out of the first race, and BJ McLeod capitalized on an inspection failure by Anthony Alfredo to claim the second Duel’s transfer spot. As it so happened, McLeod was taken out on the third lap of the race after a wheel hub broke.

Race Results

1. No. 45 – Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing)
2. No. 47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Hyak Motorsports)
3. No. 22 – Joey Logano (Team Penske)
4. No. 9 – Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports)
5. No. 6 – Brad Keselowski (RFK Racing)
6. No. 38 – Zane Smith (Front Row Motorsports)
7. No. 17 – Chris Buescher (RFK Racing)
8. No. 35 – Riley Herbst (23XI Racing)
9. No. 21 – Josh Berry (Wood Brothers Racing)
10. No. 23 – Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing)
11. No. 4 – Noah Gragson (Front Row Motorsports)
12. No. 24 – William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports)
13. No. 7 – Daniel Suárez (Spire Motorsports)
14. No. 10 – Ty Dillon (Kaulig Racing)
15. No. 8 – Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing)
16. No. 5 – Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports)
17. No. 51 – Cody Ware (Rick Ware Racing)
18. No. 77 – Carson Hocevar (Spire Motorsports)
19. No. 16 – AJ Allmendinger (Kaulig Racing)
20. No. 1 – Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing)
21. No. 43 – Erik Jones (Legacy Motor Club)
22. No. 71 – Michael McDowell (Spire Motorsports)
23. No. 54 – Ty Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing)
24. No. 41 – Cole Custer (Haas Factory Team)
25. No. 60 – Ryan Preece (RFK Racing)
26. No. 42 – John Hunter Nemechek (Legacy Motor Club)
27. No. 12 – Ryan Blaney (Team Penske)
28. No. 67 – Corey Heim (23XI Racing)
29. No. 84 – Jimmie Johnson (Legacy Motor Club)
30. No. 97 – Shane van Gisbergen (Trackhouse Racing)
31. No. 11 – Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing)
32. No. 66 – Casey Mears (MBM Motorsports)
33. No. 88 – Connor Zilisch (Trackhouse Racing)
34. No. 2 – Austin Cindric (Team Penske)
35. No. 20 – Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing)
36. No. 19 – Chase Briscoe (Joe Gibbs Racing)
37. No. 3 – Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing)
38. No. 40 – Justin Allgaier (JR Motorsports)
39. No. 34 – Todd Gilliland (Front Row Motorsports)
40. No. 48 – Alex Bowman (Hendrick Motorsports)
41. No. 78 – BJ McLeod (Live Fast Motorsports)

ⓒ Eryn Harris