Tyler Reddick secured his second win in as many NASCAR Cup Series races this season Sunday at EchoPark Speedway, overcoming a crash in the final laps and a tense second overtime finish. His victory came at the Autotrader 400 near Atlanta, where he outpaced the field driving the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota for the majority of the race.
Reddick led 53 of the 271 laps and crossed the finish line just 0.164 seconds ahead of his closest competitor. This win marked his 10th career Cup Series triumph, building momentum after last weekend’s Daytona 500 success. In doing so, he became the first driver since Matt Kenseth in 2009 to win the opening two events of a NASCAR season.
Race Highlights and Key Competitors
Chase Briscoe, piloting the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota, finished second, while Ross Chastain of Trackhouse came in third. Spire Motorsports teammates Carson Hocevar and Daniel Suárez rounded out the top five spots. The race’s intensity escalated late when William Byron’s car slowed significantly after scraping the wall with three laps remaining. This incident caused a major collision involving Austin Cindric and nine other drivers, bringing out a red flag to clear debris and extending the race into overtime.
Earlier in the race, Reddick—who started from the pole after Saturday’s qualifying was canceled due to rain—battled through another multi-car crash 37 laps before the scheduled distance. His car became entangled in a pileup exiting Turn 4, which included notable drivers such as Denny Hamlin, AJ Allmendinger, Chris Buescher, Joey Logano, William Byron, Alex Bowman, Michael McDowell, and rookie Connor Zilisch.
Notable Exits and Upcoming Events
Defending champion Kyle Larson was involved in a separate incident late in the race, colliding with Shane van Gisbergen on the final lap of Stage 2. Larson accepted responsibility for his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet tipping into van Gisbergen’s path, resulting in a hard impact against the outside retaining wall and an early end to his race.
The NASCAR Cup Series will head next to Circuit of The Americas on Sunday, March 1, marking its first road-course event of the season. Fans can watch the race live on FOX, HBO Max, and listen via PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Implications for the Season Ahead
Tyler Reddick’s strong start demonstrates his and 23XI Racing’s competitiveness, setting the tone for a season that could witness intense battles on a variety of tracks. With crashes and late-race drama impacting several top contenders, how teams respond to adversity will be crucial moving forward. The upcoming event at Circuit of The Americas promises a shift in racing dynamics, challenging drivers with a new road-course format early in the schedule.
“I take full responsibility for the incident. I just veered into his path and it caused the crash.” ?Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Driver
