Tyler Reddick Survives Last-Lap Wreck To Win Talladega NASCAR Cup Series Race

talladega crash
(NASCAR via Getty Images)

He put on a good show for the boss.

Tyler Reddick exited the last turn of the Geico 500 in fifth place, but by the end of the front stretch he’d won his first race at Talladega with team owner Michael Jordan in attendance.

The 23XI driver had previously avoided a bizarre crash involving a group of six Toyotas as they made their way around the track in a small drafting pack with 33 laps to go after having pitted together.

Reddick was leading the way ahead of Erik Jones when Bubba Wallace turned Jones in to the wall and Denny Hamlin got collected in the wreck.

Pole-sitter Michael McDowell led the way for the final restart with 27 laps to go and put on a masterclass holding off Reddick on the high side and Brad Keselowski — who was looking for his seventh Talladega win and first win overall since the 2021 Geico 500 — on the inside lane.

Reddick and McDowell traded first position 10 times during the closing laps before Reddick fell slightly off the pace leaving Keselowski to challenge fellow Ford driver McDowell.

Keselowski got a push coming through turn 4 on the last lap and went high where McDowell blocked himl but then dove back inside on the home stretch where McDowell cut in front of him one last time and clipped his bumper.

The contact put McDowell in the wall and slowed Keselowski enough for Reddick to find a gap and slip by for the win, leaving Keselowski to finish second.

talladega reddick win
(NASCAR via Getty Images)

“Was that crazy, guys? Was that crazy, fans, huh? That was Chaos. That’s Talladega for ya,” Reddick said after the race.

Reddick’s car was wearing a Jordan Brand wrap, and Jordan revealed that his 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin had previously said that he’s bad luck when he comes to the track.

“Today we proved him wrong,” Jordan said, adding humorously, “actually, he did a good job by wrecking so we could get up front.”

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Along with being Reddick’s first win at Talladega, it was also the first on a superspeedway for 23XI and the Toyota Next Gen Cup Series car.

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