On Sunday, February 15, Tyler Reddick secured the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway in a dramatic double overtime finish, overtaking Carson Hocevar on the final lap and fending off Chase Briscoe. Reddick, despite damage to his car’s right front fender caused by an earlier collision with Denny Hamlin, earned the 10th win of his NASCAR career, marking the first back-to-back victories to start a season since Matt Kenseth achieved the feat in 2009. Reddick’s back-to-back win cements his rising status in the sport early in the season.
Top Competitors and Race Developments
The top ten finishers included Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain, Carson Hocevar, Daniel Suarez, Shane van Gisbergen, Zane Smith, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Preece, and Ryan Blaney. The race extended into double overtime after Carson Hocevar spun Christopher Bell on the initial overtime lap, resulting in Bell finishing 21st.
The closing moments of regulation were marked by a multi-car crash involving William Byron, Austin Dillon, Austin Cindric—the stage one winner—Joey Logano, and Cole Custer. Prior to this, Logano had experienced a spin off turn 4 with 22 laps remaining.
Notable Incidents and Stage Winners
With 37 laps left, Denny Hamlin’s spin on the frontstretch triggered a collision that involved Tyler Reddick, William Byron, AJ Allmendinger, Alex Bowman, Michael McDowell, and Connor Zilisch. In stage play, Austin Cindric rose from 30th to claim the first stage win, while Bubba Wallace narrowly edged out William Byron for the stage two victory. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson hit the wall following contact with Shane van Gisbergen, who spun into the infield.
Kyle Busch crashed on lap 125 after attempting a move in front of Noah Gragson, resulting in loss of control and a spin into the inside wall. Additionally, a lap 103 incident saw Riley Herbst spin Austin Dillon, leading to further contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and forcing Herbst, Stenhouse Jr., and BJ McLeod out of the race. Earlier, on lap 84, Josh Berry’s contact with Ty Gibbs caused both drivers’ cars to sustain major damage, ending their races.
Upcoming Cup Series Event at Circuit of the Americas
The NASCAR Cup Series will continue at the Circuit of the Americas on March 1 with live coverage on FOX beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET. This upcoming event promises more competitive racing as drivers aim to build on the early season momentum demonstrated by Tyler Reddick and others.
