Joe Gibbs Racing has been Toyota’s flagship team since 2008, but it’s 23XI Racing that will carry the flag for the automaker in Sunday’s Daytona 500.
All three 23XI Racing full-time teams finished in the top ten, making them the only Toyota organization to accomplish this feat. Tyer Reddick won the prestigious season opener just two days before team co-owner Michael Jordan’s 63rd birthday. Riley Herbst was eighth and Bubba Wallace was 10th.
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“I can’t believe it. It’s so gratifying,” said Jordan, a NASCAR fan who grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina. “You never know how these games are going to end. You just have to try and survive.
“We held on all day. The team’s strategy was great and finally gave ourselves a chance. I’m ecstatic. I don’t even know what to say. It feels like I won the championship.”
Jordan praised Herbst’s performance in the closing laps, and Reddick said he wouldn’t have won without Herbst’s help.
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“I thought Riley played unbelievable at the end,” Jordan said. “It shows you what teamwork can really do. He doesn’t get enough credit. He’s not going to get enough credit, but we felt the love. We understood exactly what he did.”
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23XI Racing’s Daytona win was the team’s first, but it was Toyota’s fourth. Toyota currently has 204 Cup wins.
In the early stages of Sunday’s game, Redick didn’t appear to be a contender for victory. His Toyota was involved in a six-car accident on the fifth lap of the 200-lap race. It sustained minimal damage, but he was not seen in front until late in the incident.
With 10 laps left, the 30-year-old Reddick was fifth, behind Michael McDowell, Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher and Josh Berry. Then, with eight laps to go, JGR teammates Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin crashed on the front stretch, entering the fifth and final caution period. When the race resumed, Reddick was in second place with four laps to go. Leader McDowell chose the outside lane to restart, while Reddick chose the inside of the front row.
William Byron, seeking a third consecutive Daytona 500 victory, pushed Reddick into the lead. Reddick stopped to block McDowell, who was being pushed by Spire Motorsports teammate Carson Hochevar, but was unsuccessful. McDowell and Hochevar jumped to the outside, while Byron and Brad Keselowski stayed inside. This allowed Redick to drag to the middle in front of Wallace.
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Heading into the final lap, the top five were Hochevar, McDowell, Erik Jones, Reddick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Hocevar, McDowell and Jones spun as they headed towards the first corner. That left Chase Elliott, Stenhouse and Reddick three points clear heading into Turn One. Elliott on the outside, Stenhouse in the middle, Redick underneath them.
As they crossed the back track, Zane Smith pushed Elliott into the lead. Going into turn three, Reddick stopped behind Smith, and then, as they exited turn four, Reddick stopped behind Elliott as Smith moved to the bottom of the track. On three-man plays, Redick dropped inside and moved alongside Elliott. As Herbst and Keselowski crashed behind them, Redick’s backside swung, hitting Elliott and spinning him. Redick leads Stenhouse by 0.308 seconds.
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The nine-car finish was separated by three-tenths of a second from Reddick, who only led on the final lap. This is the fourth time a driver has won the Daytona 500 after leading just one lap.
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Wallace admitted he had mixed emotions after the checkered flag flew, but he didn’t want his disappointment to affect Redick’s victory.
“I thought this was going to be our week, the best 500 I’ve ever done, but it turned out badly,” said Wallace, who was the event’s top lap leader, leading nine times in 40 laps. “It was a good day for us, but damn! Try again next year.”
Byron won three consecutive championships
William Byron’s bid to become the first NASCAR Cup driver to win three consecutive Daytona 500 championships proved problematic from the start of Speed Week.
First, he was involved in a five-car crash on the back track during qualifying. His backup car left Hendrick Motorsports near Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday night and arrived at Daytona International Speedway on Friday morning.
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Later in the Daytona 500, Byron was involved in a six-car accident on lap 5 and a 20-car melee on lap 124. He ended up finishing 12th.
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“The incident on the first stage (lap five) caused a lot of damage to our car,” Byron said. “Our right front suspension was flexed, so the car drove in a really weird way and was very, very loose and tight at the same time.
“I couldn’t believe we had a shot at the end. I thought it was awesome. It was a great strategy with the fuel sequence. It was clear to me at one point that I could probably go in the middle, but I didn’t know if the balance of my car would be able to hold up there. I just had to keep my car straight, so I thought if I tried to create a barrier, I would be ruined.”
Stenhouse’s cycling team shines
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., known for his superspeedway expertise, narrowly escaped victory in Sunday’s Daytona 500 as his one-car team finished second to champion Tyler Reddick.
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Stenhouse won the Daytona 500 in 2023 and his second race at the 2.5-mile track in 2017. His other two NASCAR Cup victories came at the 2.66-mile Talladega Speedway. However, at this year’s Daytona 500, his Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet fell 0.308 seconds short of victory lane.
“Being in the top five in the Daytona 500 is never a bad thing. It’s a big race and we’re pretty bummed out of here with a 30-place finish in the 30s,” Stenhouse said.
Stenhouse led twice in four laps, 65 of the 25 drivers.
