The 68th running of the Daytona 500 has had several accidents, but none as big as what happened on Lap 124.
Justin Allgaier, driving a car owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt Miller, took the race lead out of Turn 4. However, three-time 500 winner Denny Hamlin squeezed to his outside in aggressive move. Allgaier didn't realize Hamlin was there and came up in the middle of the tri-oval, triggering a chain reaction crash that involved cars from the front to the back of the lead pack.
As Allgaier and Hamlin spun in front of the field, they collected several cars while others had nowhere to go, plowing into the crash without any chance to avoid.
The following drivers were all involved, some escaping with no damage, others with race-ending problems: Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, William Byron, Todd Gilliland, Riley Herbst, Zane Smith, Cole Custer, Justin Allgaier, John-Hunter Nemechek, Erik Jones, Alex Bowman, Ty Gibbs, Corey Heim, Michael McDowell, and Shane van Gisbergen.
The field stacks up and the caution is out on Lap 124. pic.twitter.com/FvCEFaow7S
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 15, 2026
There were others that made contact as well, but escaped without any damage. SVG, Cindric, Allgaier, Gilliland, Bowman all fell multiple laps down as they got the worst of it with some unable to continue, but other cars soldiered on with only some new battle scars. Pole-sitter Busch needed a piece of tape applied to the right-front fender, while Larson is missing the entire right-front on his Chevrolet.
Stage 2 ended under caution with Bubba Wallace leading the race. Ride along with Logano and Chastain as they both had a front row seat to the big crash:
The view of the Big One from Joey Logano and Ross Chastain. pic.twitter.com/vuTDgfNxFr
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 15, 2026
Allgaier took "100% responsibility" for that crash, which ended his race. There will be no repeat of his top ten finish from one year ago.
"This whole team have done a phenomenal job to build a race car that we felt like you come here not only run up front but lead laps and you know, I got to the top there and I really I watched the run coming on the top with Denny and I don't know, I thought he was gonna push," said Allgaier.
"I felt like that the lane was closed up just enough that he wouldn't try to go out there. When I realized he was gonna go out there, was just too late and, once the air just got on the right rear spoiler, it just kept me turning to the right and I hated everybody that got caught up in it because it wasn't what we wanted."
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) February 15, 2026
