Tyler Reddick claims back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series victory at EchoPark Speedway on Sunday in the Autotrader 400.
HAMPTON, Ga. – Tyler Reddick answered his DAYTONA 500 victory a week ago with a dramatic double-overtime comeback win Sunday evening in the AutoTrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway, marking the first time in nearly two decades a driver has won the first two races of the NASCAR Cup Series season.
Tyler Reddick Claims Victory
Even though Reddick’s No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota’s right front fender was damaged in an earlier incident, he was resilient, zigging and zagging and making a strong move to the front on the very last lap. He finished a mere 0.164 seconds ahead of fellow Toyota driver, Chase Briscoe, from Joe Gibbs Racing, who gave Reddick the crucial push to get ahead of his 23XI teammate Bubba Wallace and the Chevrolets of Carson Hocevar and Ross Chastain.
Reddick’s work makes him only the sixth driver in NASCAR history to win the opening two races of the year. NASCAR Hall of Famer Matt Kenseth was the last to do so in 2009.
Reddick, who actually led a race best 53 of the 271 laps, jumped out of his damaged Toyota Camry to retrieve the checkered flag, pausing to take a long look at the right front damage – and missing fender – then smiling and wondering aloud how he pulled that victory off as well after being collected in a nine-car accident only 40 laps from the end of the scheduled distance.
“That’s crazy, how about that EchoPark Speedway?’’ the 30-year-old Californian yelled to the packed grandstands. “This place, over the years it just puts on some amazing racing. Handling matters here, but I don’t know, I guess determination outweighs handling.”
Team Owners, Michael Jordon, Denny Hamlin, and Crew Chief are Exuberant
His team’s co-owner, NBA legend Michael Jordan, was equally as jubilant with Reddick’s rebound.
“Tyler did an unbelievable job, both teams did an unbelievable job’’ Jordan said, also referring to Wallace, who led 46 laps but finished eighth in the final all-out push to the checkers.
“I wanted one of them to win, I feel bad for Bubba because he had an unbelievable day, but Tyler drove his ass off,’’ Jordan continued. “I’m very happy for Tyler and very happy for 23XI.
“The guys worked hard all summer, and they never gave up. This is the fruit of their labor, and for us to come out and win the first two races says a lot about our team.’’
Reddick’s crew chief, Billy Scott, revealed post-race that the temperatures were so cold.
“39 degrees at the checkered flag – that it was difficult to fully repair the car after the accident.”
They had to resort to heavy tape on the front end of Reddick’s damaged Camry.
Team co-owner, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, said of Reddick’s car,
“It looked like carnage city.’’
The Autotrader 400 Results
The Chevrolets of Trackhouse Racing Ross Chastain and Spire Motorsports teammates Hocevar and Daniel Suarez rounded out the top five behind Reddick and Briscoe.
In another phenomenal comeback story, Chastain’s Trackhouse Racing teammate Shane Van Gisbergen finished sixth, the best oval finish of his two years in the series – even after the former Australian Supercars Series champion was caught up in three yellow-flag incidents on the day.
Front Row Motorsports’ Zane Smith, Wallace, Roush Fenway Keselowski’s Ryan Preece, and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney rounded out the top ten in a race where the top 12 cars finished within a second of the race winner. Nine of the race’s 14 leaders led double-digit laps.
It was all indicative of the competitive nature now expected and delivered by this high-banked 1.5-miler that races similar to the famed Daytona and Talladega, Ala., speedways.
Carson Hocevar – A Man on His Own
Drafting partners are important, and the young driver Hocevar said he just couldn’t entice anyone to draft with him late. So, he took off by himself, passing three cars in one daring move in the final lap of regulation to position himself up front. However, he made contact with 2025 race winner, Christopher Bell, on the first overtime restart, drawing the final caution.
It put Hocevar alongside Wallace on the front row for the final green flag. Wallace got the jump on the start and held the point until making a move high on the track, which allowed Reddick to come from below and blow past them both.
The NASCAR Cup Series Point Standings
With his Atlanta win, Reddick now leads his teammate Wallace by 40 points atop the championship standings.
“It’s really fun to be a part of 23XI right now,’’ Jordan said, grinning.
Up Next
The NASCAR Cup Series moves to its first road course of the season next week in Austin, Texas. The DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne at Austin’s famed Circuit of the Americas starts at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Christopher Bell is the defending race winner.