Keselowski after his crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500: "One of the stupidest things I've ever seen."

There's no doubt that the finish of the 68th edition of the Daytona 500 will be remembered. With two crashes on the final lap, Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing) emerged from the chaos to take the win, giving Michael Jordan his first victory in the most prestigious race of the season, and a fourth for Denny Hamlin, who has now won three times as a driver.

However, dissecting Sunday's final straight, one man could have changed the course of history and secured his first career victory: Brad Keselowski. While the leading group began battling three-way for the win, with Reddick overtaking Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports) in the final meters, the line led by Keselowski, with Joey Logano (Team Penske) glued to his rear bumper, was approaching with significantly more speed on the outside.

Sensing an opportunity, Riley Herbst, Reddick's teammate, decided to block Keselowski's run, but a little too late, causing a final crash that sealed Reddick's victory, while behind them, the drivers crossed the finish line in all directions, most notably into the wall. "Bad Brad" made no secret of his anger after the race.

WHERE DID HE COME FROM?!

TYLER REDDICK IS A DAYTONA 500 CHAMPION! pic.twitter.com/IaXoaKwwMf

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 15, 2026

“Number 35 (Herbst) hit me for no reason, out of nowhere. It was one of the stupidest things I've ever seen. He had no chance of blocking my run; I had tremendous speed. I don't know if I could have caught Reddick, but I wish I had, because I was coming in at full speed. Number 35 destroyed us, him and us. It was truly stupid.”

Sidelined by an off-season injury (a broken leg), Keselowski had to miss the non-championship round of The Clash at Bowman Gray two weeks ago. The Rochester Hills, Michigan native was finally cleared to participate in the Daytona 500, where he'll attempt his seventeenth victory. His involvement in the final-lap crash had a positive side effect: he was able to regain his confidence after a few impacts, which he didn't experience differently.

“I feel really good physically. The race went very well, I felt very comfortable in the car, and even though I had an accident at the end, I didn't feel it. I'm proud to have made it this far.”, did he declare. "A few weeks ago, I wasn't sure I'd be able to participate in this race. To be able to participate and have a chance to win is pretty good. I'm just disappointed not to have managed to win."

Perhaps the eighteenth time will be the charm in 2027, but until then Keselowski and RFK have 35 more chances to shine in the 2026 season, with the aim of qualifying for the year-end Chase, which will bring together the top 16 drivers in the overall standings at the end of the twenty-sixth race of the season.

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