A thrilling race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday ended with Tyler Reddick in victory lane.
The 23XI Racing driver, with team owner Michael Jordan in attendance, passed Ryan Blaney in the final corner to seal the victory and advance to the Championship 4.
After the win, Jordan came up from behind Reddick and gave him a hug as the driver was being interviewed by NBC. This will be the first title race appearance for both Reddick and 23XI Racing.
TYLER REDDICK PASSES RYAN BLANEY IN THE FINAL CORNER!
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 27, 2024
HE WINS AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI AND IS GOING TO THE NASCAR CHAMPIONSHIP! pic.twitter.com/GtgwGyY6jb
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Tyler Reddick WINS and gets a hug from team owner Michael Jordan! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/ccbQ4TZiiD
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 27, 2024
Reddick, 28, has had a breakout season for Jordan's team. He won the regular season championship and now has three victories in 2024 after leading 97 laps in Miami.
His victory on Sunday was his most impressive yet. Reddick was third at the white flag after Blaney passed Denny Hamlin for the lead on the penultimate lap. Then, the driver of the No. 45 got around both Hamlin and Blaney on the final lap to cross the line first.
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With 13 laps to go, Reddick's chance at victory were slim to none. He stayed out on the track longer than his competitors and had to pit eventually, which buried him in the pack. But when Kyle Larson spun out while battling Blaney for the lead, Reddick was able to stay on the track while everyone else hit pit road.
That gave him the lead for the final restart with seven laps to go. Although he lost the top spot immediately to Hamlin and Blaney, he stayed close and pounced at the perfect moment.
Blaney held on to finish second, followed by Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, William Byron, Alex Bowman, A.J. Allmendinger, Carson Hocevar and Ryan Preece to round out the top-10. Larson finished 13th after his late spin and slow final pit stop.
There's now just one race remaining in the Round of 8 as Reddick joins Joey Logano as the only two drivers locked into the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway. Next Sunday's event at Martinsville Speedway will be the final chance for playoff drivers to advance to the title-deciding race.
Here are the full NASCAR playoff standings entering the elimination race at Martinsville, where the bottom four will be cut and the top-four will race for the title at Phoenix:
Rank | Driver | Points |
1. | Tyler Reddick | ADVANCED VIA WIN |
2. | Joey Logano | ADVANCED VIA WIN |
3. | Christopher Bell | 4,132 (+29 above the cut) |
4. | William Byron | 4,110 (+7 above the cut) |
5. | Kyle Larson | 4,103 (-7 below the cut) |
6. | Denny Hamlin | 4,092 (-18 below the cut) |
7. | Ryan Blaney | 4,072 (-38 below the cut) |
8. | Chase Elliott | 4,067 (-43 below the cut) |