Tyler Reddick, driver of the #45 23XI Racing Toyota, won the 2026 Daytona 500 this past Sunday, Feb 15. The 68th running of the “Great American Race” took place in Daytona Beach, Florida at the Daytona International Speedway with a crowd of approximately 150,000 spectators. Reddick claimed his first-time win at Daytona and the biggest win of his career.
Due to weather concerns, the Cup Series opener was given the green flag at 2:14 p.m. Chase Briscoe was among the few impacted by a wreck during stage two, but it wasn’t until the final few laps that The Big One would occur. With seven laps left in stage two, Justin Allgair driving the No. 40 Chevrolet and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin made contact in what turned into a 20-car wreck. At the time of the final lap, Reddick, who started in 26th place made his way to fourth place, until leader Carson Hocevar got knocked out of his position in final lap chaos. As the yellow flag flew in the final lap, Reddick found himself leading the last lap as the 25th different leader of the race, eventually bringing home the win. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished second, followed by Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top five race finishers.
It is the first Daytona win for 23XI Racing, pronounced “twenty-three eleven,” the team is co-owned by driver Denny Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan. After a winless 2025, Reddick felt a sense of relief for his Sunday evening win.
“When you’re a Cup driver and you get to this level and drive for Michael Jordan, it’s expected you win every single year,” Reddick stated, “Just speechless. I didn’t know if I’d ever win this race. It’s surreal, honestly.”
Jordan complimented the race winner, stating, “It’s so gratifying. You never know how these races are gonna end. I feel like I won a championship.”
