Michael Jordan celebrates Daytona 500 as Tyler Reddick survives wild finish

Tyler Reddick claimed the 68th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday night, NASCAR’s most iconic event and the traditional curtain-raiser to the season. The 23XI Racing driver – whose team is co-owned by Michael Jordan and fellow competitor Denny Hamlin – prevailed in a breathless finale marked by multiple wrecks and heavy contact over the final five laps, the length of the last stint after the final pace car pulled away.

By the time the field reached those decisive laps, several contenders were already out following a major crash in Stage 2 that swept up a cluster of cars. It was the first “big one” of the night – the term used for pileups involving large sections of the field. That second of the race’s three stages ended under caution, with Bubba Wallace collecting the stage points. The opening stage had gone to Zane Smith.

The big one was triggered by Connor Zilisch’s misjudgment from the lead. The rookie attempted to move up to the outside lane, blocking Ross Chastain, who in turn made contact with Cody Ware. The chain reaction behind them unleashed chaos, leaving 17 cars damaged.

Fuel saving and strategy define the final stage

The closing segment of the Daytona 500 revolved around aggressive fuel conservation – “management,” the buzzword of recent days – and divergent pit strategies. Michael McDowell tried to stretch his tank to avoid another stop. A late caution set up a five-lap dash to the finish. Carson Hocevar took the white flag in first place, but any restraint shown earlier in the run had vanished. A pack of cars surged forward in pursuit of one of NASCAR’s most coveted victories.

On the final lap, with cars scraping the wall, sliding across the grass and even one crossing the finish line in reverse, Reddick capitalized on a push from Riley Herbst to surge into the lead, threading his way past out-of-control machines after contact between Herbst and Brad Keselowski sparked yet another incident. William Byron – chasing the feat of becoming the first driver to win three straight Daytona 500s – was among those caught up in the mayhem.

In the end, it was Reddick who stood tall, lifting the trophy alongside Jordan, who was in attendance at the Florida track.

“We did an incredible job, I’m speechless, I don’t know what to say, it feels like winning a championship. I’m ecstatic, I can’t believe it. It feels good to build a team like the one we’ve built,” the former NBA star said, now able to boast another ring – this one earned on the racetrack.

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