Tyler Reddick triumphs in a chaotic Daytona 500, overcoming a last-lap crash.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. β Tyler Reddick squeezed through a last-lap crash and pushed his way to the front of the pack to win NASCAR’s Daytona 500 as another crash broke out behind him.
Reddick was third at the white flag but race leader Carson Hocevar was turned around, taking out several cars. Chase Elliott and Ricky Stenhouse fought for the lead after the crash, but Reddick got an enormous push from his 23XI Racing teammate Riley Herbst to slip around Elliott.
As the remaining cars reached the finish line, Eliott was spun out, collecting several other cars as Reddick flashed to victory.
βLast year was really hard for all of us,β Reddick said, reflecting on his winless 2025 season. βIβm just speechless. I didnβt know if Iβd ever win this race. Itβs surreal.β
Stenhouse, Joey Logano, Elliott, and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top five. All four were crashing as they finished the race.
Most of the race focused on fuel-saving, particularly the back-half of the event when the field ran three-wide off max throttle in preparation for the final pit stop.
That final stop came with under 20 laps to go. Toyota drivers hit pit road first as the field split mostly based on manufacturer alliances.
As the field meshed together following the pit cycle, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin made hard contact with the wall, bringing out a caution and setting up the dramatic finish.
Michael McDowell stayed off pit road and banked on having enough fuel for the finish. He led after the ensuing restart and battled with Reddick, getting help from his Spire Motorsports teammate Hocevar, but the latter driver made a move to get around McDowell with two laps to go, leading to the crashes.
A massive crash involving 20 cars took out several contenders on lap 125. Justin Allgaier was ahead of the field when contact from Denny Hamlin spent him spinning. Well over a dozen other cars suffered damage from the initial impact or trying to avoid the pileup. Pole sitter Kyle Busch and one of the race favorites, Ryan Blaney, were among those damaged.
The race began an hour earlier than originally scheduled due to a rain-drenched forecast. The impending storm caused concern throughout the event.
The NASCAR Cup Series is back in action at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta on Sunday, Feb. 22.