The 2026 Daytona 500 ended on a miraculous note. In the final 500 yards of the race, several racers crashed before the finish line, and Tyler Reddick came out victorious. The win was a big moment for Tyler, as it marked about a year since he finished as the runner-up of the 2025 Daytona 500 competition.
While reflecting on the road to his 2026 victory, Tyler said that last year “was really hard for all of us, hard for me.”
“When you’re a Cup driver, and you get to this level and drive for Michael Jordan, it’s expected you win every single year,” he explained, per NASCAR. “For us to go on that drought, it made us look hard in the mirror, and I am really proud of everyone on our Chumba Casino Toyota Camry. Worked really hard in the offseason, and there were many points in this race where we weren’t making decisions we wanted to, but we just reset, and every opportunity we got to reset, we went back at it.”
Admitting he was “just speechless,” Tyler confessed he “didn’t know if I’d ever win this race. It’s surreal, honestly.”
Get to know Tyler here — from his career to his background before his 2026 Daytona 500 victory.
Tyler Reddick Is Married With Children
Although his racing career is at full speed ahead, Tyler is also a husband and a dad! He is married to his wife, Alexa DeLeon, and they share two children.
Tyler Reddick Began Racing at 4 Years Old
Tyler was just a kid when he started racing. He competed in the Outlaw Karts at just 4 years old, then started competing in mini sprints, midgets and sprint cars.
Tyler Reddick Won the 2026 Daytona 500
As racing fans already know, Tyler is the winner of the 2026 Daytona 500. He muscled through quite the catastrophe in the final 500 yards of the race when multiple cars crashed behind him.
“I’ve dreamt of this moment my whole life,” Tyler captioned an Instagram post after his big win. “What a night. What a team. Daytona 500 champions!!!”
