Tyler Reddick won the 2026 Daytona 500.

Who Won The Daytona? – Quick Scoop

🏁 The Short, Direct Answer

If you’re asking “who won the Daytona?” in the context of the most recent Daytona 500 (February 2026), the winner was Tyler Reddick , driving the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing.

He grabbed the lead on the final lap after chaos and wrecks reshuffled the front of the field, making it his first Daytona 500 victory and the ninth win of his NASCAR Cup Series career.

What Happened In The 2026 Daytona 500?

Here’s the quick storyline of the race that answers “who won the Daytona” and how he did it:

  • The 2026 Daytona 500 was the 68th running of the event at Daytona International Speedway in Florida.
  • The race had an intense 65 lead changes among 26 different leaders , a record for the Daytona 500.
  • On the final lap , Tyler Reddick avoided multiple accidents and surged past Chase Elliott just before the finish.
  • Reddick’s move from third to first coming off Turn 4 turned him into the surprise winner of the day.

An example of how wild it was: Reddick didn’t lead most of the race but timed his move perfectly when the leaders wrecked, proving that at Daytona, being in front at the last moment is all that matters.

Top Finishers Snapshot

Here’s a compact look at the key finishers from the 2026 Daytona 500.

[9][5][3][1] [1] [1] [3][1] [1]
Position Driver Team Notable Detail
1st Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing First Daytona 500 win, dramatic last-lap pass.
2nd Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Hyak Motorsports Came up just short after the late chaos.
3rd Joey Logano Team Penske Former winner, in the mix but not quite there at the end.
4th Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Lost the lead only a few hundred feet from the finish.
5th Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Solid top- five in a very chaotic race.

Forum & Trending Angle: Why Everyone’s Talking About It

Your prompt mentions “forum discussion” and “trending topic” , and this finish definitely fed that energy:

  • Fans are buzzing about how Reddick “came out of nowhere” on the final lap, calling it one of the wildest Daytona finishes in recent memory.
  • The win is huge for 23XI Racing , co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan , making him a Daytona 500–winning team owner, which has also become a big headline in news coverage.
  • Commentators highlight that Reddick’s win shows how Daytona often rewards patience and survival more than dominating early laps.

In many forums and discussion threads, people are framing this Daytona 500 as a textbook example of “stay in contention, survive the wrecks, then strike at the end.”

If You Meant A Different Year

Because “who won the Daytona” can mean different editions, here are two quick reference points so you can orient by year:

  • 2025 Daytona 500 : Won by William Byron , in a race heavily affected by rain delays and big wrecks.
  • 2026 Daytona 500 : Won by Tyler Reddick , final-lap pass and record-setting number of leaders.

So, if you’re asking about the latest Daytona 500 as of February 2026, the answer is Tyler Reddick. TL;DR:

  • Who won the Daytona (latest Daytona 500)? Tyler Reddick, in 2026, for 23XI Racing.
  • He stole the win on the final lap after late wrecks shook up the field.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.