Patience won the biggest race of the NASCAR season.

In the closing moments of the 68th running of the DAYTONA 500, Tyler Reddick waited until the final possible moment to strike. With help from teammate Riley Herbst, he surged forward in the last 500 yards, slipped past Chase Elliott, and drove his No. 45 Toyota to victory in a wild finish that showed why Daytona is called the Great American Race. 

Reddick’s win was not just close. It was dramatic. Behind him, cars crashed and slid sideways as drivers fought for the same piece of racetrack. By the time the chaos erupted, Reddick was already clear, crossing the line 0.308 seconds ahead of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.. The most surprising part was that he led only one lap all day, and it was the one that mattered most. He became the 25th different leader in the race, setting a new Daytona 500 record. 

The victory ended a frustrating stretch for Reddick after a winless 2025 season. Driving for 23XI Racing, co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, the pressure to win had been building. Reddick said the team had to look inward during the offseason and fix what was not working. On Sunday, that work paid off in the biggest way possible. 

The final laps felt like a movie. At the white flag, Carson Hocevar held the lead but spun in Turn 1, taking several contenders out of contention. Elliott inherited the front position and looked ready to grab a crown jewel victory. Then momentum shifted. Reddick got a strong push from Herbst, made his move, and pulled ahead as the field scrambled behind him. Herbst attempted a late block that triggered another wave of chaos, but it also sealed the win for his teammate. 

The finish left several drivers frustrated but impressed by how quickly things changed. Elliott admitted he was forced into defense mode once he felt the run building behind him. Brad Keselowski, recovering from a broken right femur, said the closing laps were filled with confusion and hard contact, but still managed a top-five result. 

Earlier in the race, the biggest crash of the day shaped the strategy for many teams. With seven laps left in Stage 2, contact between Justin Allgaier and Hamlin sparked a 20-car wreck that wiped out several strong cars. Even though Herbst was involved, his car survived well enough to play a key role later. 

When the dust settled, the top five told the story of a race decided by survival and timing. Stenhouse finished second, followed by Joey Logano in third, Elliott in fourth, and Keselowski in fifth. Reddick had started deep in the field in 26th position, proving once again that patience can be more important than early track position at Daytona. 

The race itself was packed with action. There were 65 lead changes among 25 drivers and multiple major incidents, showing just how unpredictable superspeedway racing can be. Fans on social media praised the teamwork between Reddick and Herbst, with many calling it one of the best examples of teammate commitment seen in recent Daytona finishes. 

For 23XI Racing, the victory was historic. It marked the team’s first Daytona 500 win, giving Jordan and Hamlin one of the biggest achievements in NASCAR ownership. For Reddick, it was more personal. After a long stretch without a win and a year filled with pressure, he finally captured the race every driver dreams of winning. 

In the end, the lesson of the 2026 Daytona 500 was simple. You do not always need to lead the most laps. You just need to lead the right one.

Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images