Tyler Reddick Secures Championship 4 Berth with Thrilling Last-Lap Pass at Homestead

In a dramatic NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race that saw three different leaders in the final three laps, Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing made a clutch pass out of Turn 4 on the last lap to claim his first victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, securing a spot in the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway.

Reddick passed Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing entering Turn 1 on the final lap and then moved high against the wall to pass Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney in the final corner to win the Straight Talk Wireless 400. The victory marks Reddick’s eighth career Cup win and third of the season.

“I don’t know, we were backed in a corner and had no other choice. I knew we were on a tire deficit, and here at Homestead, that’s a death sentence, but I didn’t care,” Reddick said of his bold move to retake the lead after being passed in a four-wide move on the restart with only seven laps remaining.

NBA legend and team owner Michael Jordan celebrated Reddick’s win from pit lane, exclaiming, “Little kid [Reddick] drove his ass off, and I’m proud of him. He didn’t let go. He just went for it, and we needed it. We needed it.”

The win automatically advances Reddick to the Championship 4, while leaving Blaney and Hamlin in must-win positions heading into next week’s race at Martinsville Speedway. Joey Logano claimed the first Championship 4 entry last week at Las Vegas, leaving only two positions available for the title race.

Christopher Bell, who finished fourth, leads the points standings with a 29-point edge on the playoff elimination line. William Byron, who finished sixth, holds the fourth and final transfer position with a seven-point cushion over teammate Kyle Larson.

Hamlin is now sixth, 18 points back, while reigning series champion Blaney is seventh, 38 points behind Byron. Chase Elliott, who finished fifth at Homestead, is ranked eighth, 43 points below the cutoff line.

“Obviously, it’s a disappointment — had a great shot to win and didn’t have a very good last lap,” Blaney said. “Man, I thought I got into [Turn] 3 hard, and the 45 [Reddick] just blitzed up in there, and it stuck for him, which is very impressive.”

The Round of 8 will conclude next Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, with the final four drivers advancing to the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway.