Tyler Reddick is a Daytona 500 champion. The 23XI Racing driver made a last-lap pass on Chase Elliott with a push from teammate Riley Herbst and held on by 0.308 seconds to win the 68th running of "The Great American Race." It was the biggest victory of Reddick's career and only the second time a Toyota has won the Daytona 500.
The race was a masterclass in superspeedway chaos. Sixty-five lead changes among 26 different leaders set a new Daytona 500 record, shattering the previous mark and keeping fans on the edge of their seats for all 200 laps. Nobody could hold the front for long, and every restart reshuffled the deck.
How Reddick Won It
With two laps to go, Chase Elliott was in command. The No. 9 Chevrolet had worked its way to the front through the final round of green-flag pit stops and appeared ready to bring Hendrick Motorsports their first Daytona 500 victory in years. But Reddick and Herbst had other plans.
Coming off Turn 4 on the final lap, Herbst gave Reddick a monster push in the outside lane. The No. 45 Toyota shot past Elliott's Chevrolet before they reached the tri-oval, and Reddick held the lead to the checkered flag. The margin of 0.308 seconds felt much closer than that in real time. Behind them, the field erupted into last-lap chaos as multiple cars made contact, but 25 cars managed to finish on the lead lap.
23XI Racing Makes a Statement
Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing had three cars in the top 10 for the first time in team history. Reddick won, Herbst provided the race-winning push, and Bubba Wallace had already captured the Stage 2 victory earlier in the race. For a team that entered the Cup Series in 2021, this was a watershed moment. Jordan's investment in NASCAR is paying dividends, and the 23XI pit box was electric after the checkered flag.
Stage Winners
- Stage 1: Zane Smith
- Stage 2: Bubba Wallace
Top 5 Results
| Pos | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 2 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 3 | Joey Logano | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 4 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 5 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing (Ford) |
By the Numbers
- 65 lead changes among 26 different leaders — both Daytona 500 records
- 0.308 seconds — margin of victory
- 25 cars finished on the lead lap despite late-race chaos
- 2nd Toyota to ever win the Daytona 500
- 3 cars in the top 10 for 23XI Racing — a team first
What It Means
Reddick locked up a guaranteed spot in the 2026 NASCAR Playoffs with his Daytona 500 victory, and he set the early tone for what could be a championship-caliber season. For 23XI Racing and Michael Jordan, it was validation. The team now has the sport's biggest trophy in their lobby, and they proved they can compete at the highest level with multiple cars.
Chase Elliott will wonder what might have been. He led the most laps in the final stage and appeared destined for victory before Reddick's last-lap heroics. Still, a fourth-place finish at Daytona is a strong start. And Stenhouse Jr., the 2023 Daytona 500 champion, showed once again that he's one of the best superspeedway racers in the field by finishing second.
The season is only one race old, but Reddick served notice: 23XI Racing is here to contend.