NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick had the last laugh at this year’s Daytona 500. He spent his last season winless, meaning that this win ends the drought and adds Reddick’s name to the list of drivers who have won the prestigious crown jewel event.
Reddick led just one lap throughout the race; the last one. But it mattered the most. He is now the 44th different Daytona 500 winner. This also marks the second crown jewel victory for someone from the 23XI Racing camp, after Bubba Wallace won the Brickyard 400 last year.
For Tyler Reddick, the experience was surreal. He never thought of winning “The Great American Race”, so when it happened, the Toyota icon was thrilled.
“Just speechless,” Tyler Reddick said in a statement. “I didn’t know if I’d ever win this race. It’s surreal, honestly. Honestly, the best part is my son asked before this race, Are you finally going to win this race? Something about today just felt right.”
“It’s going to be a long night if I’ve already lost my voice from screaming. Never thought I’d be Daytona 500 champion,” he added.
Former Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished right behind Reddick, followed by Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, and Brad Keselowski. Reddick’s win marks the first Daytona 500 victory for Toyota since Denny Hamlin bagged back-to-back victories at the marquee event in 2019 and 2020.
“You Just Try To Survive”- Tyler Reddick’s NASCAR Boss Explains Why Winning the Daytona 500 Was Special
Tyler Reddick’s boss and 23XI Racing co-owner, Michael Jordan, was pleasantly surprised when Reddick won the 68th running of the annual Daytona 500. Well, it’s not the same as winning any other regular-season event on NASCAR’s calendar. There was a time when even the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. struggled with it.
Former Cup Series champions Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, and Kyle Larson have also been unsuccessful in their past Daytona 500 attempts. So when Reddick aced the race, Jordan couldn’t contain his happiness.
“I can’t even believe it,” said the NBA Hall of Famer. “It was so gratifying. We had four guys that were really fighting, helping each other out. You never know how these races are going to end. You just try to survive.”
“I’m ecstatic,” he continued. “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.”
That being said, the NASCAR Cup Series will return next week for the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway. Scheduled for Sunday, February 22, the 260-lap race will be televised on FOX, with live radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, starting at 3 pm ET.
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