2/19/2026 | USA | sports | ✓ Verified - foxsports.com

2026 Daytona 500 on FOX Draws 7.5 Million Viewers, Rivals Olympics Overage

#Daytona 500 #Tyler Reddick #FOX Sports #23XI Racing #Michael Jordan #NASCAR Cup Series #Winter Olympics 2026 #TV Ratings

📌 Key Takeaways

Tyler Reddick wins the 2026 Daytona 500 for 23XI Racing, marking the team's first victory in the event.
The race drew 7.5 million viewers, an 11% increase from the previous year, peaking at 9.15 million.
FOX's broadcast outperformed the non-prime-time coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
The win is historic for co-owners Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, solidifying their impact on NASCAR.
The event sets a strong tone for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, leading into the Autotrader 400.

📖 Full Retelling

On February 15, 2026, the 68th running of the Daytona 500 concluded at Daytona International Speedway with a historic victory for Tyler Reddick and a record-breaking viewership of 7.5 million on FOX. The event not only celebrated the first triumph for 23XI Racing, co-founded by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, but also proved that motorsport can outperform global sports events, surpassing the ratings of the 2026 Winter Olympics during the same broadcast window. FOX Sports announced that the race attracted a combined 7,489,000 viewers, representing an 11% increase over the previous year's attendance. The broadcast saw its highest engagement between 5:30 and 5:45 p.m., peaking at 9.15 million viewers, which significantly outpaced any non-prime-time coverage of the Olympics. The excitement was palpable on the track as Reddick executed a daring final maneuver, passing Zane Smith and Chase Elliott on Turn 4 to claim the checkered flag. This victory marks a significant milestone in the history of 23XI Racing, which has now secured its first Daytona 500 win just one year after its founding. For Tyler Reddick, the win solidified his status as a top contender, adding to his growing tally of nine Cup Series victories. The successful debut of the 2026 season, characterized by high ratings and thrilling competition, sets a high bar for the remaining NASCAR Cup Series events, beginning with the Autotrader 400 in Hampton, Georgia.

🏷️ Themes

NASCAR, Sports Broadcasting, Motor Racing, Winter Olympics

📚 Related People & Topics

Michael Jordan

American basketball player and businessman (born 1963)

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and retired professional basketball player who is a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 15 seasons in the NBA between 1984 and 2003, ...

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Tyler Reddick

American racing driver (born 1996)

Tyler George Reddick (born January 11, 1996) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing.

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NASCAR Cup Series

Top national division auto racing division within NASCAR

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Entity Intersection Graph

Connections for Michael Jordan:

🏢 NASCAR 9 shared

👤 Tyler Reddick 5 shared

👤 Denny Hamlin 4 shared

👤 Bubba Wallace 1 shared

🌐 Motorsport 1 shared

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