Tyler Reddick wins at Darlington in 4th NASCAR win of season
- TSN MOTORSPORTS INSIDER
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Tyler Reddick successfully overtook Brad Keselowski and led the final 28 laps at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, securing his fourth NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season.
Representing the 23XI Racing team, co-owned by Denny Hamlin and NBA icon Michael Jordan, Reddick commenced the race from the pole position and led for 77 laps in his No. 45 Toyota, ultimately winning by a margin of 5.847 seconds over Keselowski.
Ryan Blaney secured third place, followed by Carson Hocevar and Austin Cindric.
Keselowski led the race six times for a total of 142 laps, the highest of any driver, but his final pit stops occurred four laps earlier than Reddick's. Reddick capitalized on fresher tires to close a seven-second gap during the final stretch, executing the winning pass on the 266th of 293 laps.
This victory marks Reddick's 12th career win and his first at Darlington. He began the year triumphantly with a Daytona 500 win, becoming the first driver in NASCAR history to win the initial three races of a season.
Tire management proved crucial on Darlington's abrasive track surface, with drivers contending with increased wear due to new car regulations.
Despite forecasts of disruption from a 12% increase in horsepower and a 25% reduction in downforce, which aids in maintaining traction through high-speed turns, drivers largely maintained control of their vehicles.
The race included four caution periods, with only one involving a multicar incident, marking the fewest cautions at Darlington since the rain-shortened race on March 21, 1999, which featured three. The last full-length race at Darlington with fewer than four cautions was the 1998 Southern 500, with two caution periods on September 6, 1998.
Comments