Tyler Reddick walked into Daytona a year removed from one of the toughest seasons of his life.
He left as a Daytona 500 champion.
Reddick won NASCAR’s biggest race Sunday night at Daytona International Speedway, charging to the front in the closing laps and holding off the field in a tense, green-flag finish to capture the first Daytona 500 victory of his career.
The triumph comes after a bruising 2025 season in which Reddick failed to win a single Cup Series race.
It was only his third winless season of his career in the Cup Series and it unfolded while he and his family navigated health challenges involving his young newborn son, Rookie.
Reddick spoke last year about the emotional toll of balancing racing with time at the hospital and uncertainty at home. There were stretches when the track felt secondary.
On Sunday night, everything came together.
“I never thought I’d be a Daytona 500 champion,“ said Tyler Reddick.
He beat the field off Turn 4 as the pack flew apart behind him—a typical ending to the Daytona 500—and when he crossed the finish line, Reddick pounded the steering wheel in disbelief.
The win delivers the first Daytona 500 title for Reddick and adds another milestone for team co-owner Michael Jordan’s organization, who won the Brickyard 400 last year with Bubba Wallace.
A year ago, he left Daytona still searching for answers. This year, he left with the Harley J. Earl Trophy.
For a driver who endured a winless season and and so much heartache last year, this victory feels larger than racing.
