23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick won his first-ever Daytona 500 last Sunday, February 15. In fact, it also marked his team’s maiden Daytona 500 triumph. Everyone behind the #45 garage was celebrating. However, the milestone was all too emotional for one crew member in particular, Reddick’s spotter, Nick Payne.
Payne was captured sitting near the victory lane, drowned in thoughts. It was his first Daytona 500 win as a spotter as well. He expressed what he was feeling later on through an emotional post on X, formerly known as Twitter. He wrote,
“I’m still at a loss for words. At 31 years old.. February 15, 2026 will forever be one of the greatest days of my life. The last photo explains it all. The amount of support over the last 24 hours has been overwhelming. 600+ messages across every platform. I’ve tried to read every single one but fail but I am incredibly grateful.”
“Having my dad at the track for this win is something I’ll never forget,” he further wrote. “Daytona has always held a special place in my heart and in my family’s story growing up. To experience this moment together with him makes it that much cooler.“
All three 23XI entries managed to clinch top-10 spots. Overall, it was a great day for 23XI Racing, but not so much for team owner Denny Hamlin. The three-time Daytona 500 victor got involved in a massive multi-car wreck and ended up 31st in a 41-car field.
Tyler Reddick reflects on Daytona 500 victory after a winless 2025
Tyler Reddick didn’t win any races last year. He qualified for the playoffs on points but got chucked out in the Round of 8. It was a disappointing end to Reddick’s 2025 Cup Series campaign, given that he had qualified for the Championship 4 the previous year, that too with three regular-season victories.
“To have last year play out the way that it did was rough,” Reddick said after the race. “You got all these expectations to win multiple races… and we didn’t really live up to those last year. So we had a lot of hard conversations in the offseason on top of everything else that was going on.”
Winning the Daytona 500 is a dream for many, and it was no different for Tyler Reddick. He is now the 44th different driver to win the 500-mile event.
“Just speechless. I didn’t know if I’d ever win this race. It’s surreal, honestly,” the driver added.
The NASCAR Cup Series will be back next week with the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway. Fans can watch the race live on FOX or listen to live radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, starting at 3 pm ET.
Read More:
Tyler Reddick Shares Update on Son’s Health Condition After Surreal Daytona 500 Win
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