DAYTONA, Fla. — In a dramatic finish at the Daytona 500, Tyler Reddick clinched victory driving a car owned by basketball legend Michael Jordan. The win came after a collision with Chase Elliott, who was vying for the top spot alongside Reddick.
Reddick, representing 23XI Racing in a Toyota, led the most important lap of all — the final one — securing a win for the team co-owned by NBA icon Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin.
Hamlin, competing for Joe Gibbs Racing, became entangled in a crash with teammate Christopher Bell with nine laps to go, prompting the last caution and setting the stage for a thrilling four-lap dash to the finish.
As the race approached its climax, Elliott seemed poised for victory after Carson Hocevar, the leader, was forced off the track. It appeared the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott would claim his inaugural Daytona 500 win.
However, Reddick made a bold maneuver, resulting in contact that led to Elliott’s crash, allowing Reddick to surge ahead and deliver a win for Jordan at Daytona International Speedway.
Jordan recently made headlines as the prominent figure in a December federal antitrust lawsuit that NASCAR settled during the trial’s ninth day. The agreement resulted in a revamped revenue-sharing model for the premier U.S. motorsports series.
The victory marked a Daytona sweep for three team owners heavily involved in the trial. Bob Jenkins, who joined 23XI in suing NASCAR, opened the weekend with a victory when Chandler Smith won the Truck Series opener on Friday night for Front Row Motorsports.
Richard Childress, who testified on behalf of 23XI and Front Row and was the subject of disparaging text messages by since-departed NASCAR chairman Steve Phelps, was the winning team owner Saturday when Austin Hill won.
Then came “The Great American Race” and Jordan and Hamlin, the two front-facing litigants got their first Daytona 500 victory. It was an early birthday present for Jordan, who turns 63 on Tuesday.
Former race winners Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Joey Logano finished second and third as Toyota, Chevrolet and Ford each placed a driver on the podium. Elliott wound up fourth and sat dejected and in disbelief on the outside wall of the track after climbing from his car.
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