Tyler Reddick takes Daytona 500 crown at the wheel of a Michael Jordan car

Tyler Reddick won "The Great American Race," but Michael Jordan was the one who stole the spotlight. 

The six-time NBA champion joked he might run out of fingers after earning his first Daytona 500 ring as the owner of the winning car.

To do so, he had to suffer until the very last lap, when his driver pulled off a blistering overtake that Jordan frantically celebrated. For many, the greatest player in NBA history embraced Reddick effusively at the finish line and raised the Harley J. Earl trophy with him.

In fact, Tyler Reddick, driving a Toyota, led just one lap on Sunday throughout the entire race: the most important one, the one that led him to cross the checkered flag in first place. The race was fiercely contested, underscored by the fact that Michael Jordan’s driver became the 25th different competitor to lead a lap, setting a new record in the Daytona 500.

"The real craziness of Daytona"

"It's unbelievable how it all unfolded. Real Daytona madness," a beaming Reddick told the media. "I've already lost my voice from screaming so much. I never thought I'd be Daytona 500 Miles champion."

Nonetheless, it's the ninth time that Reddick, 30, of Corning, California, has won in the NASCAR Cup Series. It is, however, his first win after spending a blank 2025, a year that the driver dedicated mainly to his young son, who was diagnosed with a tumor in his chest affecting his heart. Reddick began last year with a second-place finish in the Daytona 500 Mile Race.

"Until I get my ring, I won't know"

Jordan, who turns 63 on Tuesday, will receive a Daytona 500 Miles ring for his birthday as co-owner of the 23XI Racing team. "I feel like I've won a championship, but until I get my ring, I won't know," the legend joked.