Tyler Reddick breaks winless streak by winning Daytona 500

Redemption arrived in the final 500 meters of the Daytona 500 for Tyler Reddick, who spent 199 laps searching for the precise moment to strike and finally found it when his teammate Riley Herbst gave him the push he needed in Turn 4 to pass Chase Elliott. Reddick took the checkered flag on Sunday with a 0.308-second lead as the rest of the pack disintegrated in multi-car accidents, ending a winless streak that spanned the entire 2025 season and had sparked internal questions at 23XI Racing.

"When you drive for Michael Jordan, winning is expected every year," Reddick explained as he climbed out of his No. 45 Toyota. His last victory had been at Michigan in August 2024, and the intervening 18 months had been particularly difficult because his newborn son faced health issues, adding emotional pressure to the already complex challenge of winning in the Cup Series.

Sunday at Daytona International Speedway validated the work 23XI Racing had done over the winter, closing a turbulent period for the organization that in December had faced an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR over the Charter Agreement terms. Reddick won, Riley Herbst finished eighth, and Bubba Wallace finished tenth, putting three team cars in the top 10 in the most important race on the calendar. Wallace had led 40 laps (more than any other driver) and won the second stage, demonstrating that 23XI has real competitive depth beyond its primary star.

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The 68th running of the Daytona 500 set a record with 25 different leaders and 665 lead changes. Carson Hocevar was out front when NASCAR displayed the white flag but spun in Turn 1, opening the door for Elliott to take command with a push from Zane Smith. Reddick attacked at the very last possible moment, and Herbst attempted a block on Brad Keselowski that triggered widespread chaos, allowing his teammate to break free for the victory.

Byron Loses Opportunity Due to Thursday Accident

William Byron finished 12th and failed in his bid to become the first driver to win three consecutive Daytona 500s, but his Sunday was already compromised from Thursday when he suffered irreparable damage in the qualifying Duels. Hendrick Motorsports had to prepare a backup car, forcing Byron to start from the last position on Sunday instead of from a competitive spot in the top 15 that his qualifying speed had originally guaranteed him.

The 2024 and 2025 champion navigated his way to 12th place in a race where starting at the back at Daytona means getting trapped in the wrong group during critical moments. Byron never had a real opportunity to fight for the lead, effectively eliminated on Thursday when Justin Allgaier lost control in the first Duel and destroyed five cars, including the No. 24 Chevrolet.

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Keselowski's injury added drama to an already chaotic race. The 2012 champion competed just weeks after fracturing his right femur, showing competitive speed until Herbst's block on the last lap sent him into Joey Logano and Elliott. "We had a huge race going and the 35 wrecked us," said a visibly frustrated Keselowski. "He tore up cars that didn't deserve that finish."

Allgaier triggered the most destructive accident when, with seven laps remaining in the second stage, he left a tight gap to his right and Denny Hamlin attempted to fill it. Allgaier moved toward the wall unaware that Hamlin was there, sparking a 20-car pileup in the tri-oval that eliminated contenders like Shane van Gisbergen, Alex Bowman, and Todd Gilliland. "It's 100 percent my fault," Allgaier admitted. "I should have moved up higher."

Kyle Busch had started from the pole position (his first in 21 attempts in this race) but strategically dropped to the back of the pack in the early laps to preserve his car, finishing 15th. Chase Briscoe led 23 laps but a pit stop on a lap under green took him out of the main draft and he fell to 19th.

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The victory allows Reddick and 23XI Racing to breathe a sigh of relief. "My son asked before this race: 'Are you finally going to win?' Something about today just felt right," Reddick revealed. Michael Jordan, the team's co-owner, watched from pit road as his three cars executed the strategy perfectly. "Riley won't get enough credit for what he did pushing at the end," Jordan said. "But we understand exactly his contribution."

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished second, Joey Logano third sliding backward, Elliott fourth, and Keselowski fifth. Smith, Chris Buescher, Herbst, Josh Berry, and Wallace completed the top 10 in a race where surviving the final chaos was worth as much as having the fastest car.