Drivers, start your engines.
A new season of NASCAR began on Sunday with the Daytona 500, a 500-mile, 200-lap, Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway in Florida. Often called the “Great American Race,” the Daytona 500 holds a unique place in motorsports.
Most major sporting leagues end their season with their biggest event, whether it be the Super Bowl, World Series, Stanley Cup Playoffs or NBA Finals. In NASCAR, that big event comes at the very beginning. The Daytona 500 is widely considered the sport’s version of the Super Bowl.
The inaugural Daytona 500 was held in 1959, with the opening of the speedway. Since 1982, it has been the final event of Speedweeks, a series of week-long events leading up to the race that feature practices, qualifying races, duels, concerts and more.
William Byron, who had won the past two years, looked to become the first driver to pull off the three-peat in Daytona history.
The race was broken into three stages, each carrying championship points for the top finishers. Stage one was won by Zane Smith, earning the first stage win of his Cup Series career. Three Ford vehicles came in the top three for stage one, all collecting points.
The middle portion of the race belonged to Bubba Wallace, who claimed stage two, but that segment included multiple multi-car accidents that reshaped the field. Early in the stage, a crash involved Connor Zilisch, Austin Dillon and Chase Briscoe.
The largest crash of the day, known as “The Big One,” took place in stage two when Justin Allgaier and Denny Hamlin made contact while battling for the lead, triggering a massive car pileup. The wreck eliminated several drivers, including Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and the race favorite Ryan Blaney.
Despite the chaos, the racing remained intense throughout the final stage. A Daytona 500 record 23 different drivers led at least one lap, combining for 65 total lead changes, the second most in race history. Tight drafting packs and aggressive lane switching kept the outcome uncertain.
The final lap delivered a wild finish. A crash near the front of the field allowed Tyler Reddick to surge from fourth place to lead through turns three and four. With help from teammate Riley Herbst, Reddick pushed past Chase Elliott and pulled ahead before another wreck took place behind him.
Reddick led only the final lap, but it was the one that mattered most for his first career Daytona 500 victory. Delivering his ninth career win in his 219th start to former NBA player Michael Jordan’s and Denny Hamlin’s 23Xl Racing team. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished second, Logano took third, while Elliott and Brad Keselowski filled out the top five.
Personally, I was rooting for Byron to seal the three-peat. Although he was involved in many accidents throughout the day, I was impressed to see how much he was able to stay in the race and be in the top five on the final laps.
Elliott remains one of the few NASCAR Cup Series champions who have not won the Daytona 500. It was upsetting to see Elliott, arguably one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers, go into the wall in the final seconds.
From record-setting lead changes to massive wrecks and an insane finish, the 2026 Daytona 500 lived up to its hype as NASCAR’s Super Bowl, setting the stage for another thrilling season.
The NASCAR Cup Series will continue Sunday with the Autotrader 400 at 3 p.m. The race will be available for streaming on FOX with radio coverage from SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
