It took until the closing laps of Stage 2 but the big wreck of the 2026 Daytona 500 involved nearly half of the grid.
On Lap 124, leader Justin Allgaier floated to the top lane and lost speed as he tried to block Denny Hamlin from going around his outside. Allgaier hit the wall and pinched Hamlin which sent both back down the track and into the trailing cars. Nearly half of the 41-car field were caught up in the biggest wreck of the race.
Bubba Wallace made it through unscathed on the bottom lane and led the field under caution to start Stage 3.
A 17-car pileup at Daytona. What a mess. pic.twitter.com/bV5zsBQDox
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 15, 2026
There's the Big One! Here's what happened. pic.twitter.com/Q9Bf7FNH6W
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 15, 2026
The view of the Big One from Joey Logano and Ross Chastain. pic.twitter.com/vuTDgfNxFr
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 15, 2026
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Daytona 500 crash today, watch 2026 big one in NASCAR race Stage 2