Daytona 500 Dreams Fulfilled: Tyler Reddick's Instinctual Triumph

The sun dipped low over the tri-oval at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2026, as Tyler Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota surged across the start-finish line. Chaos erupted behind him—a tangle of spinning cars from Spire Motorsports—but Reddick(pictured with team co-owner Denny Hamlin) didn’t see it. “I crossed the start-finish line first,” he recalled in the post-race press conference, his voice still laced with disbelief. “But in the moment, I’m not looking for the flashing yellow lights. It took a couple minutes on the cool-down lap for someone to finally say, ‘Yes, you won the race.'”

–by Mark Cipolloni

For Reddick, this wasn’t just any win. It was *the* win—the Daytona 500, the race he’d watched religiously as a kid growing up in California, glued to the TV with his family every February. “I dreamed of one day just having an opportunity to run in this race,” he said, his eyes distant with memory. This was his eighth crack at it, and the day hadn’t been smooth. A caution with eight laps to go had thrust him into a restart he’d craved his whole life. Then, the top lane rolled, he lost the lead briefly, and disaster struck the leaders. From his seat, though, the final lap unfolded in slow motion. “Everything just kind of fell into place the way I wanted it to,” he explained. “Trust your instincts when things get chaotic—that’s when I get the job done.”

At the heart of that final-lap magic was Riley Herbst in the No. 38. Reddick was unequivocal: “I don’t win that race without Riley Herbst. That’s a fact.” Herbst had pushed him relentlessly on the frontstretch, then made his own bold bid for glory. “He did everything right,” Reddick praised. “Pushing me, then doing everything he could to win it for himself.” Their Toyota teammates had been forged in off-season talks: help each other, but seize your shot. Herbst did both, earning a promised “whatever he wants” from Reddick—maybe that Jura coffee machine they’d once split the cost on.

The victory capped a grueling personal and professional odyssey. 2025 had been winless, a “rough” year shadowed by his young son Rookie’s health battles. “Everything else happening outside the racetrack was not easy to manage,” Reddick admitted. But the family had reset. Rookie, now home and thriving, was “crawling like a speedster” by race week, even joining brother Beau in Victory Lane. Reddick’s voice softened recounting the moment: “I got out of the car, and Rookie is getting to experience this for the first time. The crazier it is, he just starts laughing. He’s wild, like his dad.”

Beau, old enough to remember, rode shotgun into Victory Lane atop the car—a photo destined for immortality. “That’s what it’s all about,” Reddick said, beaming. “We go on the road as a family. Celebrating the wins together, lifting each other in the tough times.” His wife and sons had been his anchor through the uncertainties. “For us to have this moment… it has its own place.”

Up on the podium, the 23XI Racing brain trust—crew chief Billy Scott and team owner Denny Hamlin—echoed the elation. Scott, a West Coast kid who’d once watched from the stands, could barely process it. “It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” he said, grinning. “To be in contention after all that carnage, and then Riley’s big push… hats off to him.” The off-season grind had paid off: tough talks, discipline, and a “rejuvenated outlook” from Reddick. “He was all in,” Scott noted. “Tonight shows it.”

For Hamlin, the win hit different. As a three-time Daytona 500 victor behind the wheel, owning this one soothed the sting of his own late-race crash. “It’s fantastic,” he said. “More gratifying than other wins I’ve had. The 500 is just a little different as an owner.” Watching from the infield, he’d scanned the scoreboard, counting “horses left in the race.” With multiple 23XI cars in the mix, he knew the shot was real. “Tyler making all the right moves, Riley being a great teammate… it was great to see.”

The triumph carried deeper layers. Michael Jordan, the team’s co-owner and basketball legend, lit up Victory Lane with a grin unseen since his hoops days. Hamlin had reminded the crew weeks earlier of Jordan’s joy at their Talladega win: “You guys are the only ones who can bring him that.” Reddick delivered. “To give a guy who’s won everything possible a Daytona 500 win… it just doesn’t seem like real life,” he reflected. Jordan’s belief in him—alongside Hamlin’s—had been the fuel. “They wanted me to drive here,” Reddick said. “And to deliver in these clutch moments… it’s the stuff you dream of.”

Tyler Reddick, driver of the #45 Chumba Casino Toyota, and Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing celebrate in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

The win also marked a new chapter for NASCAR. Post a contentious December lawsuit involving 23XI and Front Row, the sport’s big players—Reddick’s team, RCR, and others—swept the weekend. “All we do is win,” Hamlin quipped with a laugh. But behind the scenes, collaboration was blooming. “December was a wake-up call,” he explained. “Conversations since then have been about self-reflection… pulling the rope in the same direction.” Team meetings buzzed with optimism, and Hamlin saw it in Reddick: “He was the only one making notes. That’s what we want.”

Reddick’s dirt-racing roots shone through in his adaptability. The fourth driver in the modern era to win his first nine races at different tracks, he credited his Ala-Kart days in California. “Every night, the track’s a little different,” he said. “You prepare for the unexpected.” That versatility, plus his “loose” racing style, had Hamlin convinced: “The sky’s the limit. Champion is the easy answer.” With road courses and short tracks still to conquer, Reddick’s potential loomed large.

As confetti fell and the Thunderbirds roared overhead, Reddick soaked it in. Rookie laughed through the madness, Beau grinned from the car, and Jordan’s bear hug sealed it. “I’m just really proud of how honest everyone at 23XI was,” Reddick said. “We reset, we’re ready to go.” For a driver who’d dreamed big, sacrificed with his family, and leaned on gut instincts in the fire, the Daytona 500 wasn’t just a checkered flag—it was proof that hard work, belief, and a little chaos could turn dreams into destiny. The season stretched ahead, but this? This was the spark.