2026 Daytona 500 results, takeaways: Tyler Reddick gets Michael Jordan to victory lane after pass on last lap

Reddick came out of nowhere to win his first Daytona 500

The 2026 Daytona 500 lived up to the hype, as Tyler Reddick of 23Xl Racing took home the win after one of the most wild final laps you'll ever see. The No. 45 Toyota Camry avoided a Carson Hocevar spin just seconds after the white flag dropped, then went from third to first coming out of turn four -- passing Chase Elliott down the back straightaway for his first Daytona 500 victory. Sunday marked just the fourth time in Daytona 500 history that the winner didn't lead until the final lap. 

Reddick finished runner-up to William Byron in the Daytona 500 last year, but ran the gauntlet to emerge as the top dog in 2026. He gets team owner Michael Jordan to victory lane for the first time at the "Great American Race" just two days before his 63rd birthday.

It looked like this was Elliott's race to win, as he entered the final turn as the leader with Zane Smith behind him. However, a push from teammate Riley Herbst helped propel Reddick to the biggest win of his career. 

"I can't even believe it. I mean it was so gratifying," Michael Jordan said in victory lane. "I mean we had four guys that were really fighting, that were helping each other out. You never know how this race is going to end. It's like we just try to survive. I thought Riley did an unbelievable job by pushing him at the end. That shows you what team work can really, really 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 we gave ourselves a chance at the end.

"Look, I'm ecstatic. I don't even know what to say. It feels like I won a championship but until I get my ring I won't even know."

Not everyone appreciated Herbst's aggression at the end. Brad Keselowski of the No. 6 Ford, who raced Sunday despite breaking his femur eight weeks ago, was upset the No. 35 wrecked him right before the start/finish line

"He tore up the 9, tore up the 22, bunch of cars that didn't deserve to be wrecked," Keselowski told Fox after the race. "So that was a big bummer and really stupid, but still a decent day for us to come home with a top five and to be competitive and have a shot to win."

Let's break down some takeaways from the Daytona 500, but first, here are the unofficial results:

Final results

1. Tyler Reddick, 45
2. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 47
3. Joey Logano, 22
4. Chase Elliott, 9
5. Brad Keselowski, 6
6. Zane Smith, 38
7. Chris Buescher, 17
8. Riley Herbst, 35
9. Josh Berry, 21
10. Bubba Wallace, 23
11. Noah Gragson, 4
12. William Byron, 24
13. Daniel Suarez, 7
14. Ty Dillon, 10
15. Kyle Busch, 8
16. Kyle Larson, 5
17. Cody Ware, 51
18. Carson Hocevar, 77
19. AJ Allmendinger, 16
20. Ross Chastain, 1
21. Erik Jones, 43
22. Michael McDowell, 71
23. Ty Gibbs, 54
24. Cole Custer, 41
25. Ryan Preece, 60
26. John H Nemechek, 42
27. Ryan Blaney, 12
28. Corey Heim, 67
29. Jimmie Johnson, 84
30. Shane van Gisbergen, 97
31. Denny Hamlin, 11
32. Casey Mears, 66
33. Connor Zilisch, 88
34. Austin Cindric, 2
35. Christopher Bell, 20
36. Chase Briscoe, 19
37. Austin Dillon, 3
38. Justin Allgaier, 40
39. Todd Gilliland, 34
40. Alex Bowman, 48
41. BJ McLeod, 78

Reddick a good example of expecting the unexpected at Daytona

While Reddick did finish in second place in 2025, he was not viewed as a favorite to win this race. He had finished better than 27th place just once in seven starts, and had never led a lap in this race either. The No. 45 emerging victorious was the perfect way to end this race -- which saw a little bit of everything. There were 23 different drivers that led a lap, which were the most ever in Daytona 500 history, according to NASCAR Insights, and all three manufacturers even had their time in the sun at different points in the race, which ultimately laid the foundation for the bedlam we were destined to witness on the final lap. 

It must be a special feeling to hoist a trophy with the great Michael Jordan, but Sunday marked a big win for more than just Reddick. He became just the second Toyota driver to win the Daytona 500, plus 23Xl Racing had three cars finish in the top 10 for the first time ever. A massive day for them. 

William Byron's three-peat comes up short

The No. 24 of William Byron was the main storyline this weekend, as he was attempting to become the first driver in NASCAR history to win three straight Daytona 500s. Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Sterling Marlin and Denny Hamlin had all won two straight Daytona 500s, but couldn't make it three. The same goes for Byron.

Hendrick's star does deserve plenty of credit, however. After all, it appeared his dream of three-peating was in serious danger just five laps into the race, when he made contact with a spinning BJ McLeod.

That incident required the 24 to make multiple stops for repairs, but Byron fought his way back into the top 10 in the first stage before an unexpected push sent him into the wall. 

Byron somehow remained in the mix. On the last lap, he was in legitimate contention before the Hocevar spin caused him to slow down. Byron found a way to finish 12th, which is pretty impressive. 

'The Big One'

Every year, drivers hope to avoid "The Big One." The wreck that has the potential to take out half the field and drastically alter the course of the race. It's always scary when this crash happens at the front of the pack, which is exactly what happened on Sunday when Justin Allgaier attempted a late block on Hamlin while he was leading the race! 

To Allgaier's credit, he owned his mistake after the race. Plus, Hamlin got lucky and this crash didn't end his day. But it did affect 17 different cars -- including Kyle Larson.