Best Daytona 500 Radio Moments From NASCAR Cup Opener: 'We Hit Everything'

The 2026 Daytona 500 was full of chaos and drama. From a 20-car wreck to a daring move on the final lap and a crash at the finish line, this iteration of The Great American Race had everything. 

It's one thing to see it play out on the screen; it's another to relive the action with a behind-the-scenes look from the drivers' and teams' perspectives with the audio detailing what they're experiencing in real time. 

Here are the best in-car radio moments from the 2026 Daytona 500, won by Tyler Reddick and 23XI Racing.

B.J. McLeod lost control and spun out, taking out William Byron and other drivers during the first wreck of the race. Here was what Byron said in real time: "Wrecking, wrecking right in our lane. Right in our lane."

Justin Allgaier's team told him to: "Back it out. Back it out. Back it out," as he tried to avoid damage. "Sorry, I should have bailed. I saw the smoke," Allgaier said.

Tyler Reddick took damage to his right rear and let his spotter, Nick Pryne know. "I don't know what the heck happened there," Reddick said. "Something broke."

[INSIDE THE GARAGE: Tyler Reddick, 23XI Hope to Build on Historic Daytona 500 Win ]

The wreck in Stage 2 resulted in even more carnage. That was caught on audio, too. Ross Chastain bumped Chase Briscoe into the infield, and as Briscoe spun, Austin Dillon T-boned his car. 

"I knew it," Dillion said, lamenting. "I know [expletive] better. I shouldn't have chose the bottom lane."

Bubba Wallace ultimately came out of that wreck wide open to lead the race. "Wooooh," his spotter Freddie Kraft said in exhalation as Wallace avoided the wreck.

Connor Zilisch, who was also involved in that crash, was confused: "Where are we going?" he asked as his No. 88 car was towed to the