Tyler Reddick celebrates his first Daytona 500 victory in the 68th running of the Great American Race. (Photo: Gavin Baker | Nigel Kinrade Photography)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Daytona 500 can be anyone’s race – whether you are a rookie in your first NASCAR Cup Series race or a seasoned veteran with decades under your belt. Sunday’s 68th running of the Great American Race served as Tyler Reddick’s sweet and long-awaited victory.
After a seemingly endless 38-race winless streak, Reddick finally tasted the champagne in Victory Lane, on one of the biggest stages in racing no less.
“Last year was really hard for all of us – hard for me,” Reddick said in his post-burnout interview with FOX Sports. “When you’re a Cup driver and you get to this level and drive for Michael Jordan, you know, it’s expected that you win every single year. For us to go on that drought that we did, it made us really look hard in the mirror.”
In a classic “where did he come from?” moment on the last lap, the No. 45 Toyota was able to avoid the carnage in Turn 4 and surge past the No. 9 Chevrolet of Chase Elliott to take the checkered flag.
“We had the lead there when that caution came out, lining up next to [Michael] McDowell. We just kind of kept getting hung a couple times in the closing laps there,” Reddick said. “Incredible how it all played out. True Daytona madness.”
Bubba Wallace led for a race-high 39 laps before finishing 10th in the 68th Daytona 500. (Photo: Gavin Baker | Nigel Kinrade Photography)
Reddick’s 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace was one to watch for a good portion of the race, as he took the green-white-checkered flag at the end of Stage 2 and led a total of 39 laps. For many of the laps he did not lead, he was right there in the front row contending for the win. However, he, along with fellow teammate Riley Herbst, fell short of presenting team co-owner Michael Jordan with his first Daytona 500 win, finishing 10th and eighth, respectively.
“We hung in there all day. Great strategy by the team, and we gave ourselves a chance at the end,” Jordan said post-race. “Look, I’m ecstatic. 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.”
Elliott, in the hunt for his first Daytona 500 victory, came so close to claiming the elusive Harley J. Earl trophy. He had a consistent performance throughout the day, but was collected in the unfortunate incident at the end of the race, ultimately handing the win to Reddick.
“We ended up kind of getting gifted the lead and the No. 38 and I got out by ourselves down the back,” Elliott said to FOX Sports outside the AdventHealth Care Center. “He gave me a good shove off into [Turn] 3 and it was just kind of he and I. At that point, I just felt the momentum shift.
“At that point, you’re just on defense and that’s a really tough place to be, truthfully. Obviously, looking back, you can run it through your mind a thousand times. Do you do something different? I feel like if I had thrown a double block on the No. 45, it would have just crashed us at that point in time.”
Chase Elliott hitting the wall head-on as Tyler Reddick drives from the chaos and carnage to win the 68th Daytona 500. (Photo: Rusty Jones | Nigel Kinrade Photography)
Regardless of how the race ended, the 500-mile season opener ran fairly clean overall. With a record 23+ leaders and the wind whipping from the impending storm, there were only five cautions and no overtime. Many drivers, including some of the most competitive in the end, fell to the back of the field and worked their way back to the front at one point or another, sometimes more than once. Chris Buescher, for one, started dead last in a backup car and ended the day in seventh place with four laps led.
Fuel strategy was the name of the game all day and the green flag pit stops certainly did not disappoint in that regard. Strategies were scattered, even among the manufacturers. Cars came down pit road in small groups, leaving fans wondering who would end up shuffling out in front and with how long of a gap over the drivers who pitted later. Merging back into the pack was by far one of the most challenging parts of the day, as many drivers had to take evasive action to avoid almost certain carnage with slower cars coming onto the track.
What was a heartbreaking day for many was also unforgettable for others, in more ways than one. Rookie drivers Corey Heim and Connor Zilisch made their marks in the Cup Series in their inaugural Daytona 500. Despite finishing 33rd, Zilisch raced his way to the front and was quite close to the lead before getting loose and bringing out a caution in Stage 2. Heim was out front for quite some time in his first ever Cup Series start and even led eight laps before being shuffled back in the field. He ultimately finished 28th.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to EchoPark Speedway, formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway, next week for the Autotrader 400. Race coverage begins on Sunday, February 22nd at 3:00 PM ET on FOX and HBO Max.
