NASCAR
Tyler Reddick Wins Michigan in Double Overtime, Continues Incredible Run
BROOKLYN, Mich. – Toyota goes to Michigan victory lane for the first time in nine years, thanks to Tyler Reddick. Toyotas were the class of the field much of the two-day affair, with the race coming down to a double-overtime dash. It was teammate help from a Ty Gibbs push that sealed the deal for Reddick, putting 23XI Racing back in the winner’s circle.
Stage 1 was a battle for the win between 23XI Racing’s driver and owner–Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin. A late yellow caused by Hamlin spinning out from second allowed Ryan Blaney to cycle up front however by not pitting. The No. 12 Ford won the opening Stage.
Stage 2 played out in very similar fashion, with a late yellow triggered by Kyle Larson spinning ahead of the pack. This split strategy allowed Kyle Busch to win Stage 2, his first Stage win of the year.
Through the final cycle of green flag pit stops, Tyler Reddick gained the upper hand. Reddick finally retook the lead with 12 laps left, only for overtime to be triggered by Martin Truex Jr. pounding the outside wall.
On the restart, a quick spin by Ross Chastain sent the finish into double-overtime. Despite Byron briefly retaking the top spot, nobody could hold off Reddick’s charge for victory.
“Just great teammate, fantastic push by Ty Gibbs,” Reddick said. “That’s what it’s all about. The Toyota family tries to take care of each other.”
Reddick was quick to also pay respect to fallen mentor and racing legend Scott Bloomquist, who died in a plane crash earlier this week.
“It’s been a minute. It’s been really cool. I can’t help sit here in Victory Lane and think of Scott Bloomquist. Huge mentor to me, incredible role model, legend of dirt racing and motorsports.”
“The last couple days have been tough. This really helps it. This win should go for him, his family, his friends. All that meant a lot for him.”
“It’s tough. It’s always tough when someone you care about passes away. But my thoughts are with him and his family.”
“We had a bad restart going into the night. I didn’t know how that was going to shake out for us in our McDonald’s Camry. We did a really, really good job today and rebounded from that. I think we were one of the last cars on the lead lap at the start of Stage 3. Great effort for us.”
Reddick’s incredible summer stretch left a scorcher in Michigan. The last seven races have seen the 23XI Racing No. 45 team finish no worse than sixth. Michigan marks Reddick’s second win of the season, and puts him atop the regular season championship by 10 points.
Behind Reddick, William Byron, Ty Gibbs, Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski were the top-five. Other top finishers included: Chris Buescher, Zane Smith, Daniel Suarez, Denny Hamlin, and Carson Hocevar. Take a look at the updated Playoff grid below.
Only two stops remain in the race to the 2024 NASCAR Playoffs. The ultimate wildcard event is Saturday night under the lights at Daytons International Speedway. The Coke Zero Sugar 400 goes green at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. The World Center of Racing holds a Playoff ticket at the end of its 400 mile gauntlet, can an upset winner break through on the biggest stage?
Written by Peter Stratta
Be sure to follow us on Twitter/X
Be sure to follow the writer on Twitter/X
Photo Credit to Johnathan Bachman/Getty Images
