Tyler Reddick emerged from a wild final lap as the Daytona 500 winner Sunday, delivering 23XI Racing and co-owner Michael Jordan his first victory in NASCAR’s biggest race.
Reddick navigated the last 2.5 miles around Daytona International Speedway as several contenders crashed during the chaotic last lap wrecks that involved 19 cars.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished second, followed by Joey Logano, Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski.
Reddick snapped a 38-race winless streak dating to October 2024 at Homestead-Miami Speedway and became the 44th driver to win The Great American Race.
Michael Jordan is a Daytona 500 champion! pic.twitter.com/awIrrSY4fp
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 15, 2026
“Last year was really hard for all of us, hard for me,” Reddick, 30, told Fox Sports’ Jamie Little after his ninth career victory. “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. For us to go on that drought we did made us look hard in the mirror, and really proud of everyone on our Toyota Camry. Worked really hard in the off-season, and there was many points in this race where we weren’t making decisions we wanted to, but we just reset, and every opportunity we got to reset we went back at it. Just speechless.
“I didn’t know if I’d ever win this race. It’s surreal, honestly. Honestly, the best part is my son asked before this race, ‘Are you finally going to win this race? Something about today just felt right ... Just true Daytona madness. It’s going to be a long night if I’ve already lost my voice from screaming. Never thought I’d be Daytona 500 champion.”
Reddick won by leading only the final lap — the fourth time in Daytona 500 history that’s happened.
It was an early birthday present for Jordan, the NBA legend who turns 63 on Tuesday. It also caps a tumultuous year for 23XI Racing, which is co-owned by Jordan and longtime friend and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin.
The team sued NASCAR (with Front Row Motorsports) in October 2024 — just weeks before Reddick qualified to race for the Cup Series chamiponship.
After a contentious and protracted court battle in which 23XI Racing’s existence was threatened, the team and NASCAR reached a settlement a week into a bitter trial in December — in an outcome that was likely worth tens of millions for 23XI Racing and Front Row while also shoring up a franchise-type system for NASCAR teams.
"I can't even believe it." Michael Jordan is getting another ring thanks to Tyler Reddick. pic.twitter.com/pW3y8pgwIl
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 15, 2026
“I can’t even believe it. so gratifying,” Jordan told Little. We had four guys that were really fighting. You never know how these races are going to end. You just try to survive. I thought Riley (Herbst) did an unbelievable job by pushing (Reddick) at the end. That’s shows what teamwork can do. He doesn’t get enough credit. He won’t get enough credit. But we feel the love. We understand exactly what he did. We just hung in there all day. Great strategy by the team and gave ourselves a chance at the end.
“Look, I’m ecstatic. I don’t even know what to say. It feels like I won the championship, but until I get my ring, I won’t even know.”
Jordan and Hamlin formed 23XI Racing in late 2020 and began racing in the 2021 season with Bubba Wallace. The team added Reddick in 2023 and expanded to a third car with Herbst last year. Corey Heim also drove for 23XI in Sunday’s Daytona 500, its first race with four cars.
This is the team’s 10th career win and the first since Wallace won the Brickyard 400 last July.
With wins at Daytona and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 23XI Racing is halfway to having won all four of NASCAR’s majors (the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway remain).
