It is arduous to clarify what occurred on the ultimate lap of the Daytona 500, however it was pure mayhem. Carson Hocevar was main on the white flag, however he bought turned from the lead. The race stayed inexperienced, and Chase Elliott surged forward with a push from Zane Smith.
However then got here Tyler Reddick with a useful push from teammate Riley Herbst, passing Elliott on the exit of Flip 4. The sector fanned out four-wide with Riley Herbst colliding with Brad Keselowski, triggering an enormous crash.
Reddick gained the race, main solely the ultimate lap. It was additionally an enormous win for 23XI Racing, with group co-owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin. MJ’s 63rd birthday is simply two days away, so it is a fairly current for the NBA legend.
Watch: Michael Jordan on Daytona triumph: ‘Seems like I gained a championship’
Stenhouse completed second towards the skin wall, and Joey Logano crossed the road backwards in third. Elliott was fourth and Brad Keselowski completed fifth. Smith, Chris Buescher, Herbst, Josh Berry, and Bubba Wallace crammed out the rest of the highest ten — all three full-time 23XI vehicles completed contained in the top-ten.
“Final 12 months was actually arduous for all of us, arduous for me,” mentioned Reddick, who went winless in 2025 as his new child child battled well being points. “Once you’re a Cup driver and also you get to this stage and drive for Michael Jordan, it is anticipated you win each single 12 months.
“For us to go on that drought we did made us look arduous within the mirror, and actually happy with everybody on our Chumba On line casino Toyota Camry. Labored actually arduous within the low season, and there was many factors on this race the place we weren’t making choices we wished to, however we simply reset, and each alternative we bought to reset we went again at it.
“Simply speechless. I did not know if I would ever win this race. It is surreal, actually. Actually, the most effective half is my son requested earlier than this race, Are you lastly going to win this race? One thing about at the moment simply felt proper.”
Daytona 500 closing lap crash involving Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Riley Herbst, and Brad Keselowski
On the struggle to the end, Reddick added: “Yeah, we had the lead there when that warning got here out, lined up subsequent to McDowell, and we simply form of stored getting hung a pair occasions within the closing laps there. Yeah, simply each time we might form of break up, there can be nowhere left to go however to push, they usually pushed me, clearly.
“My teammate Riley Herbst gave me lots of pushes there after which tried to win the race for himself, as he ought to on the finish there. Simply unbelievable the way it all performed out. Simply true Daytona insanity.
“It should be a protracted evening if I’ve already misplaced my voice from screaming. By no means thought I would be Daytona 500 champion.”
Levels 1 and a pair of
Busch led the race from pole place, and he was aggressive in blocking all lanes as he tried to take care of. Nemechek moved forward, simply as the primary warning of the race flew.
One thing broke on the No. 78 of BJ McLeod, who snapped round behind the sphere. He collected Allgaier and Mears, but in addition William Byron whose try at a historic three-peat simply bought loads tougher. He complained concerning the automobile ‘wandering’ a bit, even after repairs to the toe.
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Your entire discipline got here down pit street aside from Busch. Because the stage rolled on, Busch ended up in the midst of the pack and practically spun on the exit of Flip 4. He slammed doorways with Keselowski, and each of those veteran champions have been capable of keep it up.
And since he didn’t pit with the remainder of the sphere, Busch was among the many first to go down pit street. A lot of the discipline adopted, however one group managed to avoid wasting simply sufficient, stretching the gasoline to the very finish of the stage.
Zane Smith was amongst them, profitable Stage 1 over Cindric, Blaney, Hocevar, Buescher, Suarez, McDowell, Preece, Bowman, and Gragson. Nevertheless, Gragson ran out throughout stage break, however bought a useful push from Berry again to the pits.
In Stage 2, it was a lot of the identical as drivers hit their gasoline numbers, however it was not practically as easy. Rookie Connor Zilisch made an look close to the entrance of the sphere, however his automobile was very unstable.
Moments later, he pushed up and his teammate Chastain bought unsettled, resulting in contact with Cody Ware and a multi-car crash.
Zilisch suffered harm, as did Briscoe and A. Dillon, who slammed into one another at pit entry and ended Bass Professional Retailers’ shot at a 500 win.
After that, Chevrolet drivers took turns main, however it all ended when Allgaier took the lead within the JRM entry on Lap 124. Hamlin tried to get to his exterior, and Allgaier got here up, unaware he was there,
About 20 vehicles suffered harm in that crash, placing drivers like SVG, Allgaier, Bowman, Gilliland out of rivalry.
Stage 2 ended underneath warning with Wallace main the best way.
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Stage 3
The ultimate stage was an enormous pack of 30 vehicles, three-wide, one second aside as they fuel-saved. Wallace and his fellow Toyotas led more often than not, and have been among the many first to pit with simply 19 laps left within the race.
Because the pit cease cycle wrapped up, Hamlin, Heim, and Bell collided in a small wreck on the frontstretch. NASCAR reluctantly threw the warning as storms have been getting nearer to the speedway.
McDowell was main as he hadn’t pitted, however he stayed out in an aggressive name to stretch the gasoline. Reddick was second, Hocevar third, Byron fourth, and Keselowski fifth.
The race restarted with simply 4 laps to go, and it was pure chaos. Hocevar took the white flag and completed simply nineteenth because the 2026 Daytona 500 discipline had a number of wrecks on the ultimate lap, with Reddick taking the win.
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