Tyler Reddick etched his name into NASCAR immortality by capturing a monumental Daytona 500 victory for 23XI Racing amid a chaotic final lap crash that epitomized the unpredictable thrill of superspeedway racing.
The California native, driving the No. 45 Toyota for the team co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, seized the lead in the dying moments after Carson Hocevar spun out of contention, expertly navigating the ensuing melee to cross the finish line first at Daytona International Speedway.
This win marks Reddick’s first Daytona 500 victory, a long-awaited milestone for the two-time Xfinity Series champion who had finished runner-up in 2024 and now becomes the fourth driver in history to win the Great American Race leading only the final lap.
From the drop of the green flag, the field engaged in the classic Daytona draft-fest, with cars forming massive trains and alliances shifting lap by lap with lead changes piling up—eventually totaling 65 among 25 drivers over the full distance.
Zane Smith in the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford dominated Stage 1 which concluded after 60 laps with him earning 10 playoff points for the win, followed closely by Austin Cindric in second, Ryan Blaney third, Hocevar fourth, and Chris Buescher rounding out the top five.
Brad Keselowski grabbed the Stage 2 victory for RFK, outpacing Joey Logano and Chase Elliott in a green-flag run that rewarded precise side-draft execution, while 23XI’s Bubba Wallace and Riley Herbst began climbing through the pack, foreshadowing their team’s late dominance.
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However, trouble brewed on lap 86 after Connor Zilisch in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet bumped his teammate Ross Chastain in the No. 1, leading to contact with Cody Ware and a multi-car crash that collected Chase Briscoe and Austin Dillon.
The restart on Lap 91 saw Chastain take the lead before handing over to teammate Shane van Gisbergen who was later dethroned by Kyle Busch and Justin Allgaier in a Chevrolet-only melee.
Tyler Reddick, meanwhile, pitted under green on Lap 112 for adjustments after reporting loose conditions, rejoining just in time for the race’s defining moment: “The Big One” on Lap 124.
Triggered by aggressive blocking from Denny Hamlin, a 20-car pileup erupted in Turns 1 and 2, collecting Allgaier, Hamlin himself, Chastain, Michael McDowell, Alex Bowman, Van Gisbergen, Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek.
The carnage scattered debris across the apron, drawing a red-flag period for cleanup that lasted over 15 minutes and reshuffled the entire field.
Under the restart on Lap 142, Joey Logano rocketed to the lead with a massive push from Ryan Blaney, while Chase Elliott slotted into second, the duo forming a potent Penske-Hendrick alliance.
Reddick restarted 12th but quickly latched onto Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 23XI Toyota using the intra-team draft to climb into the top five by Lap 160. William Byron faded slightly after a pit-road speeding penalty, dropping to 12th where he methodically recovered.
Joe Gibbs Racing suffered further blows as Chase Briscoe in the No. 19 tangled with Austin Dillon’s No. 3 RCR Chevrolet on Lap 178, eliminating both.
As the white flag loomed with 10 laps remaining, Corey Heim in the No. 67 23XI entry—making his Cup debut push—attempted an ill-timed shove on Hamlin’s lingering pack mates, but it instead clipped Hamlin’s damaged No. 11, sending him into Bell’s No. 20 and triggering another multi-car spin that collected Ty Gibbs.
This opened the door for Hocevar entering the final lap, but chaos erupted in the final corner as challengers barged the No. 77 Spire Chevrolet into a spin without drawing a caution.
Elliott got caught in the final lap crash alongside Logano who somehow salvaged third, while Reddick threaded the needle low, overtaking a faltering Elliott to take the white flag and hold on for the win by 0.128s over Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the No. 47 HYAK Chevrolet.
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