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Michael Jordan Wins His First Daytona 500
February 16, 2026 | Edition #594 |
Hey, NASCAR Fans!
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season officially kicked off with the Daytona 500. And boy, it lived up to its billing. It looked like the Fords had the winning strategy sorted out, but Stage 3 proved to be a different story. Out of nowhere, Tyler Reddick surged to the top of the field on the final lap and added to the wild finishes Daytona has witnessed in recent years.
Stage 1: Kyle Busch and Joey Logano set the early pace, but it was Zane Smith who bagged the Stage 1 win.
Stage 2: A ‘Big One’ finished the second stage under caution, with Bubba Wallace in the lead.
Stage 3: The Toyotas flipped the strategy, which led to the money stop and eventually the frantic final laps.
From being a championship contender in 2024 to not winning a single race in 2025, Tyler Reddick and the No. 45 team were under pressure. Racing for Michael Jordan’s team comes with a certain set of expectations, and Reddick knew he needed to mount a comeback. But little did anyone know he would turn things around in the very first race of the season.
This race wasn’t like the previous Daytona 500s. Teams were scattered around, and the pit strategies were all over the place. The Fords finally regrouped in Stage 2, and the Toyotas followed suit in the final stage. Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, and Corey Heim controlled the pace of the field, and it forced others to rethink their strategies.
Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher surged up front with 10 to go, but a late caution completely flipped the script. Michael McDowell gambled on a yellow, and it worked for him, as he found himself in the lead with 5 to go. Carson Hocevar also found himself in contention on the front row. And the Spire Motorsports Chevys had control, or let’s say controlled the chaos, behind them.
McDowell surged ahead to the lead, with Hocevar and Logano trailing him. By this time, Reddick was 4th and waiting for the perfect opportunity to make his move. As the white flag dropped, Hocevar found himself in the wall, and surprisingly, the officials kept the race green. Out of nowhere, Riley Herbst found himself at the top of the field, and he immediately hooked onto the back of the No. 45 car.
Chase Elliott led the final lap, and Zane Smith pushed him further. This is exactly the kind of situation Reddick found himself in at Homestead in 2024, two cars behind, mounting a last-lap clutch move. He passed Smith on the exit of Turns 3 and 4 with the help of his teammate Herbst. And before Elliott could react, Reddick ducked down the inside lane coming to the checkered flag.
Elliott found himself in a wreck while Tyler Reddick completed his last-lap clutch move to win the biggest race of his NASCAR career. Here’s the thrilling race finish in case you missed the action.
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The ‘Big One’ is an inevitable part of superspeedway racing in the modern era. As the teams reserve fuel for the final dash, all hell breaks loose either at the end of the stages or at the finish. The 2025 Daytona 500 ended similarly, with William Byron taking home the win. However, this trend changed at Daytona for Sunday’s race.
The pace picked up in Stage 2, and it was Justin Allgaier from JRM controlling the field. As the laps wound down with 8 to go, everyone started to get aggressive. The momentum was with the top lane, with Hamlin leading the way. Suddenly, Allgaier had his hands full trying to keep both lanes in check from the lead. And the next thing you know, he was spinning across the track.
Hamlin moved quickly to fill the gap from the top lane and had all the energy of his pack behind him. He had to make the pass, or he would’ve caused a wreck. Meanwhile, Allgaier saw the No. 11 car growing in his rear-view mirror and tried to block its advance. But he was a little too late, as Hamlin clipped the bumper of the No. 40 JRM Chevy, sparking a ‘Big One.’
A total of 20 cars were collected in this crash, and surprisingly, Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota came out unscathed. The likes of Ross Chastain, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, and SVG all found themselves in this melee. But it was Allgaier who came out the worst.
In the heat of the moment, it is natural to see drivers resort to the blame game. But Allgaier took responsibility for the crash.
Larson had damage on his car that he couldn’t recover from, and this was the case for a lot of top contenders. In turn, this crash toned down the aggression of the race heading into Stage 3, which then led to a thrilling final-lap shootout between Chevys and Toyotas.
Will Tyler Reddick Regain His Confidence To Mount Another Title Run in 2026? |
Chase Elliott: The HMS driver couldn’t process what happened to him on the final lap. From leading the race to being sandwiched in a crash, there’s only so much he could’ve done to avoid the mayhem. But according to him, the only move he had to avoid the crash was to throw the block at the #45 car. And yet it would’ve led to a similar outcome. Listen to his post-race interview below.
Brad Keselowski: For some reason or another, whenever Keselowski is in the position to contend for the win, he finds himself in a wreck. Yet, this time around, he was furious with how Riley Herbst ran the last lap, which sparked the crash coming to the start-finish line. He stated that Herbst's move on the final lap was “Pretty stupid.” Check out his unfiltered interview here.
Bubba Wallace: There was a different vibe and feeling within the 23XI Racing camp. Although Reddick won, Wallace was once again left with the feeling of what went wrong for him. Despite leading a race-high 40 laps, he had to settle for a top-10 finish. “I thought this was our week, the best 500 I’ve ever had, and come up short, sucks. Led a lot of laps, lap leader, I believe. It was a good day for us, but damn. Try again next year,” he said after the race.
Michael Jordan: MJ got a taste of his first Daytona 500, and it made him feel as if he had won his 7th NBA title. He even got emotional while sharing his thoughts in victory lane, but what stood out from his interview was his appreciation for the entire 23XI team. Listen to a teary-eyed MJ expressing his raw emotions after the Daytona 500 triumph.
The good news for all the drivers is that they will have a shot at redemption in Atlanta, and the regular season still has a lot of races. Remember, consistent good results will be key with the return of Chase.
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