Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Tyler Reddick said he leaned on instinct amid chaos on the final lap of the 2026 Dayton 500, avoiding crashes for his first win in eight tries.
The driver of the black Chumba Casino Toyota led for only the final lap of "The Great American Race" on Sunday at Daytona International International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.
"Just a very unorthodox ending to the race and just kind of trust your gut," Reddrick told reporters. "I feel like some of these races I've been able to win, whether it's in Cup or other things in my life, when things get really chaotic.
"I'm able to just lean on instinct, and things feel like they happen slow, and more times than not I'm able to get the job done."
Reddick -- who went winless in 2025 -- was in fourth place after a wreck wiped out several cars at the start of the final lap of the 500-mile race. He drove by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., took a tap from teammate Riley Herbst and pulled into third going into the third turn. Reddick then flashed by the rear right fender of Zane Smith and darted toward the outside portion of the track on turn three.
