Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Tyler Reddick said he leaned on instinct amid chaos on the final lap of the 2026 Dayton 500, avoiding crashes for his first win in eight tries.
The driver of the black Chumba Casino Toyota led for only the final lap of "The Great American Race" on Sunday at Daytona International International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.
"Just a very unorthodox ending to the race and just kind of trust your gut," Reddrick told reporters. "I feel like some of these races I've been able to win, whether it's in Cup or other things in my life, when things get really chaotic.
"I'm able to just lean on instinct, and things feel like they happen slow, and more times than not I'm able to get the job done."
Reddick -- who went winless in 2025 -- was in fourth place after a wreck wiped out several cars at the start of the final lap of the 500-mile race. He drove by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., took a tap from teammate Riley Herbst and pulled into third going into the third turn. Reddick then flashed by the rear right fender of Zane Smith and darted toward the outside portion of the track on turn three.
He then came up on leader Chase Elliott's bumper and turned his wheel right before squeezing left and getting to the front of the pack. Elliott was among several cars to wreck just before Reddick crossed the finish line for the victory.
"It may have seemed chaotic watching it, but from my seat the whole last lap played out really slow and really smooth, and everything just kind of fell into place the way I wanted it to," Reddick said.
Stenhouse, the 2023 champion, placed second. Joey Logano, the 2015 winner, placed third. Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Zane Smith, Chris Buescher, Herbst, Josh Berry and Bubba Wallace, another Reddick teammate, rounded out the Top 10. William Byron, who won in 2024 and 2025, placed 12th.
Wallace led for a race-high 40 laps. Chase Briscoe led for 23 laps. Pole-winner Kyle Busch led for 19 laps.
With his victory Reddick delivered the first Daytona 500 triumph for 23XI Racing team owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin.
"I can't even believe it," Jordan said. "It was so gratifying. We had four guys that were really fighting, helping each other out. You never know how these races are going to end. You just try to survive.
"I thought Riley did an unbelievable job pushing at the end. That shows you what teamwork can really, really do. He doesn't get enough credit. He won't get enough credit. But we feel the love. We understand exactly what he did. We hung in there all day. Great strategy by the team, and we gave ourselves a chance at the end. 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."
Hamlin placed 31st in his No. 11 Toyota Camry, which he drives for Joe Gibbs Racing. Reddick's victory Sunday snapped a winless streak of 38 races and was his triumph in the Cup Series since the Oct. 27, 2024 Straight Talk Wireless 400 in Homestead, Fla.
NASCAR's 2026 Cup Series campaign will continue with the Autotrader 400 at 3 p.m. EST Sunday at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Ga.