Reddick Secures Championship 4 Spot With Win At Homestead

Homestead, FL – The goat of basketball keeps on winning even outside the sport, as Tyler Reddick (#45 Toyota) secures the win and a Championship 4 spot at the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Reddick, part of Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team, 23XL, now in the Championship 4, will be competing for the Cup Series title in two weeks in Phoenix. Joey Logano nabbed a spot with his win last week in Las Vegas. The final two open spots will be determined next week in Martinsville.

This Is Postseason Racing!

On a warm and sunny day in South Florida, we had action from the get-go. Not even the first lap could be completed before a caution. Justin Haley (#7 Chevrolet) was tipped and spun out, avoiding other drivers but setting the race back a few laps.

A big obstacle for a playoff contender occurred early on. Kyle Larson (#5 Chevrolet) ran too close to the wall and clipped it, shattering his right rear tire and forcing another caution. It’s a high risk to hug the walls on the backstretch, rewarding top speed but with the risk of one bad maneuver being enough to send your car flying.

Another look at the incident involving @KyleLarsonRacin. #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/dZFvtHl4Nw

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 27, 2024

All the while, Reddick led the pack in dominating fashion, taking the first stage of the race with relative ease. He had the fastest car in the race by a solid amount, especially considering his success in qualifying which earned him the pole position.

Lady luck didn’t seem to favor Larson today. While attempting to enter his pit stall, Chris Buescher (#17 Chevrolet) missed his turn to his stall, which happened to be the one in front of Larson.

The No. 17 spins on pit road in front of @KyleLarsonRacin. #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/fJkct7mkX2

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 27, 2024

In the process, Buescher spun out and entered his stall backward, keeping Larson parked for a few seconds and ruining his time on pit road. Larson ultimately finished in 13th place and cracked the top five for a while, but the damage was done.

Back In Dramatic Fashion

Reddick began to lose his pace as the race continued, with Chase Elliott (#9 Chevrolet) and Denny Hamlin (#11 Toyota) having a longstanding battle for first. Ultimately, Hamlin edged Elliott out for the Stage 2 win. As the contest progressed, a new challenger entered the fray for the lead – the defending Cup Series champion, Ryan Blaney. (#12 Ford)

Remember when Haley spun out before the first lap of the race was completed? He spun out again on Lap 186, after seemingly brake-checking Ty Gibbs (#54 Toyota) and forcing another caution.

The No. 7 spins and the yellow flag flies on Lap 186. pic.twitter.com/uojnu8m0Ns

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 27, 2024

As the laps started to wind down, Hamlin and Blaney began to clock in fast lap times. They distanced themselves from the rest of the pack… until Larson spun himself with laps to go. He tried to go in between traffic and couldn’t pull it off.

To set the scene, every driver in first through fourth place was below the elimination line. Once again, Hamlin got off to a fast start and looked to pull away, but Blaney passed him with two laps to go.

Unbeknownst to many, Reddick spent the last few laps drafting behind Hamlin and Blaney. Combined with the slight edge in speed, he caught up with them at the right time.

At the backstretch, Reddick overtook Hamlin who began to fade back. On turn three, Blaney and Reddick were neck-and-neck, with Reddick hugging the wall. On turn four, Reddick completed the pass and held on for a clutch win and a ticket to Phoenix.

Congratulations to Tyler Reddick on winning today's Cup Series race at Homestead! 🌴

Michael Jordan's team, 23XL, secures a driver in the Championship 4 at Phoenix! 🚗#NASCARPlayoffs #Championship4 pic.twitter.com/I7hoJSnBWb

— Jake Gibson (@JakeTheEmcee) October 27, 2024

Changes Are Coming To SoFlo

There are only two more NASCAR races this season. Everyone’s heading to Ridgeway, Virginia next week for a short-track race at Martinsville Speedway before the championship races at Phoenix Raceway in two weeks.

Next year, the NASCAR schedule will be refreshed. Homestead, the former championship track and current playoff track, will be relegated to a regular-season race in late March – specifically from the 21st to the 23rd.