Tyler Reddick wins the Daytona 500 for Michael Jordan's team

A few months after the amicable settlement of a heated lawsuit between the NASCAR and two of his teams, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, Michael Jordan shook hands with Jim France, NASCAR vice president, in Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway, after the Daytona 500. His driver Tyler Reddick had just won the most prestigious race of the season, a first for 23XI, after a day in which the four cars of Jordan and Denny Hamlin's team seemed capable of fighting for the win.

Whether it was Bubba Wallace, Corey Heim, or Riley Herbst, all were at the front before the final pit stop, at a time when the field was slowing down to conserve fuel, but positioning became crucial before the last pit lane visit. Keeping a low profile in the pack, Tyler Reddick saw the pieces of the puzzle fall into place on the final lap, after a last-ditch restart with four laps to go.

Having climbed back up to second position as the white flag waved on the final lap, Reddick avoided the first accident caused by contact between Carson Hocevar (Spire Motorsports) and Erik Jones (Legacy Motor Club), and found himself leading the inside line. Unable to hold off Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Hyak Motorsports), Reddick rejoined his teammate Riley Herbst, with whom he managed to put in a push in Turn 3 of the final lap, while NASCAR decided against a caution period despite the carnage in the first turn.

Tyler Reddick found himself second behind Elliott in the final corner, and by diving to the inside, he secured his first Daytona 500 victory, while everyone else crashed into the wall behind him. Herbst had tried to block Brad Keselowski (RFK Racing) who was speeding down the outside line. Reddick, the 25th race leader (a record), only led for one lap, the one that counted: the 200th.

"I'm speechless, I was starting to wonder if I'd ever be able to win this race.", explained the day's winner on the pit straight. "It's unreal, honestly. The best thing is that my son Beau asked me before the race if today was the day I was going to win. Everything seemed to fall into place today."

Six-time NBA champion in his illustrious playing career, Michael Jordan was also able to celebrate this major success with the rest of his team, put together with Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin: "It's incredible, we had four riders in the fight, helping each other out. You never know how these races are going to end, you just have to survive. Riley did a superb job pushing Tyler, and you can see the teamwork. I feel like I've won a championship, I'm really, really happy."

Although rain threatened throughout the second half of the event, it was ultimately a full 500-mile race (and not one more, an aspect rare enough in recent years to be noted) that took place in Daytona, to open a year in which NASCAR seems to be rediscovering its identity.

NASCAR – Daytona 500
The results of the race

ALSO READ > Jimmie Johnson will end his career in 2027