Monday Michigan Finish Goes To Reddick In Double OT

Tyler Reddick celebrates in victory lane after winning at Michigan Int'l Speedway. (Matthew Thacker/NKP for Toyota Racing photo)

BROOKLYN, Mich. – In the final laps of Monday’s conclusion to the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan Int’l Speedway, Tyler Reddick was determined not to let another potential win slip through his fingers.

After being the leader in the final stage four times this season, only to lose the top spot in late restart situations, Reddick struck back during a wild double-overtime finish to capture his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the year.

Reddick actually took the lead with 12 laps left in regulation, following the conclusion to an extended final cycle of green-flag pit stops, but could only watch helplessly in his rear-view mirror as Martin Truex Jr. slapped the outside wall off turn four – forcing a late yellow flag coming to five to go.

That incident sent the race into its first try at extra distance, where William Byron used a strong launch on the low lane to wrest control of the field away from Reddick moments before Ross Chastain went spinning halfway down the backstretch.

Chastain’s long slide re-racked the field for the second overtime restart, where Reddick got a push from fellow Toyota driver Ty Gibbs to grab the lead back from Byron off the inside of turn two.

Once Reddick slid up in front of the Hendrick Motorsports driver, he never looked back again, motoring home to a narrow .168-second triumph and his seventh career Cup Series win.

He led just 15 laps in the race, all after lap 160 of 200.

Monday’s finish continued a run of seven straight top-six finishes for Reddick, dating back to late June at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Since the Coca-Cola 600 in May, Reddick has only one finish worse than eighth, and that was when he led the most laps at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway but tangled with Chris Buescher while racing for the victory in the final laps.

Tyler Reddick en route to victory Monday at Michigan Int'l Speedway. (Ben Earp/NKP for Toyota Racing photo)

“It’s been a minute,” said Reddick when asked how long it’s been since he’d had a run of momentum this strong.

“[That win came down to] just a great teammate,” he added, referencing the final restart. “A fantastic push by Ty Gibbs. That’s what it’s all about [here]. The Toyota family tries to take care of each other, and it all worked out in the end.”

Byron hung on for second, but admitted that having nine-lap older tires than Reddick did late in the going could have contributed to his slight lack of grip during the final two-lap sprint to the checkered flag.

“I’ll relive that restart [and] what lane to choose overnight, for sure,” admitted the Charlotte, N.C., native. “It seems like always as the leader you want to take the top [at Michigan]. I’ve gotten beat twice here by the bottom. I had the lead on the bottom barely over him [Reddick], but he had a better car than we did. He was a little bit faster.

“Second sucks, but I’m really proud of the effort,” Byron continued. “I feel like we’ve been trying to put weeks together like this and this is a really good step [forward].”

After heavy rain Sunday evening stopped the proceedings with 51 laps in the books, the remaining three quarters of the race sped by in comfortable fashion under mostly sunny, blue skies in the Irish Hills.

The biggest moment of the second half came on a lap-116 restart, when Kyle Larson spun in the middle of the lead pack while racing for a top-10 spot. He ended up collecting six other cars by the time the chaos ended, including playoff bubble drivers Buescher and Bubba Wallace.

Ty Gibbs crossed the line third ahead of Kyle Busch and Michigan native Brad Keselowski, with Buescher rallying back to sixth despite the damage he sustained during the melee with Larson in turn four.

Zane Smith, Daniel Suarez, polesitter Denny Hamlin, and Carson Hocevar – another home-state driver – closed the top 10 at the finish.

Larson actually led the most laps of all drivers, out front three times for a combined 41 laps, while 26 lead changes in total tied the most at the two-mile oval since June of 2008.

Despite Buescher and Wallace’s earlier troubles, Chastain’s late spin kept the battle at the playoff cut line tight with just two races remaining in the regular season. Leaving Michigan, Chastain holds a one-point edge over Wallace for the 16th and final postseason berth.

Meanwhile, at the top of the standings, Reddick’s win propelled him to a 10-point lead over Elliott in the race for the regular season championship and the 15 extra playoff points that come along with it.

The NASCAR Cup Series field heads next to Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway for the Coke Zero Sugar 400, the penultimate race before the 10-race playoffs get underway.

Broadcast coverage at the World Center of Racing is slated for Saturday night, Aug. 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET, live on NBC, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.