NASCAR takeaways: Tyler Reddick reaches Round of 12 with 'aggressive' move
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Tyler Reddick is known for driving right up against the wall, but it was a bold move to the apron of the track with a lap remaining that lifted him to the victory Sunday at Kansas Speedway.
Reddick, who had four fresh tires but restarted seventh on the overtime finish behind one driver who didn't take tires, three drivers who took two fresh tires and two other drivers who took four fresh tires, was able to make a move to the outside and then to the apron.
"It felt a little aggressive," Reddick said about the move. "It's a fine line. If you get a hole, you take it, right?"
The victory vaulted Reddick into the quarterfinal round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, joining Kyle Larson as being locked into the next round going into the first-round elimination race Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.
"It was a really solid day," Reddick said. "It's great to get it out of the way and be locked in."
Reddick finished second in the playoff opener a week earlier at Darlington Raceway and Sunday marked the first time Reddick recorded back-to-back top-five finishes since March.
Reddick's team owner, Denny Hamlin, finished second in a race where Hamlin would have won if not for a flat tire for Chris Buescher that brought out the late caution.
Takeaways from a race where Reddick and Hamlin were followed by Erik Jones (a team-best third this season for Legacy Motor Club), Kyle Larson and Joey Logano.
Reddick's Gain, Hamlin's Loss
On that final restart, Daniel Suarez was the leader on old tires, followed by Jones, Kyle Busch and Logano on two tires and then Hamlin and Larson ahead of Reddick, Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski.
"More cars took the top than I expected, and I was able to be the first car on the inside row with four fresh tires," Reddick said. "The car was fast."
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Hamlin led 63 laps, including 62 of the 77 laps prior to that last caution. He felt he got a little stymied on the final restart as Larson, who was behind him, left a big gap between them in hopes of getting more momentum on the restart. NASCAR tells drivers not to lay back and drivers often jockey to see how far they can lay back without being penalized.
"I liked where I was at but the 5 [of Larson] was lagging so far back on the restart that if they allow it, you're a sitting duck," Hamlin said. "It's advantageous if you can get away with it. ... I had no choice but to back up to him and by doing that, I was sleeping on the start and let [Reddick] take the space I was hoping to have."
Hamlin saw potential victories in the playoffs slip through his hands the last two weeks.
"I want to win — playoffs, whatever," Hamlin said. "Two weeks in a row we're really dominant and we don't get a win."
Elliott, Larson Close and Clash
Larson led a race-high 99 laps but lost his track position when several drivers pitted with about 35 laps remaining in the second stage. Larson and others tried to stay out thinking they might need an extra set of fresh tires for the end of the race.
"I felt really good about my car," said Larson, who finished fourth. "Just a bummer but sometimes it goes that way."
Elliott had a solid day, leading for 47 laps and finishing sixth.
"Our car was really solid," Elliott said. "We were in the mix, I thought, to have a solid day. We passed Brad (Keselowski) for third and that is probably where we were going to finish. ... We were as close as we've been. That was this."
Elliott was not happy with Larson after that final pit stop when they were side-by-side and Larson had contact with Elliott as they were driving down pit road to exit the pits. Elliott then banged doors with Larson under caution.
Elliott said he wasn't trying to send a message to Larson, although he did go up to talk to Larson after the race before Larson could even get out of his car.
"We were three-wide — I left my pit stall, Chase was in the middle lane and [Reddick] was in the outside lane," Larson said. "[Keselowski] was pitted up in front of me and I was just trying to leave as much space as I could, and I had to avoid [him] and got into Chase a little bit.
"No damage was done, I don't believe. I'm sure he was upset with me in the moment."
Truex, Wallace Big Losers
Martin Truex Jr. won the regular-season title but now sits seven points outside the cutoff after a tire puncture three laps into the race resulted in a crash that relegated him to 36th.
"It's a real shame," Truex said. "I hate for my team. We had a really, really fast [car]. I can't imagine about being this unlucky."
Wallace also had a tire blow and while it didn't end his day, he finished two laps down in 32nd. Wallace is 19 points behind the cutoff.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including the past 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter at @bobpockrass, and sign up for the FOX Sports NASCAR Newsletter with Bob Pockrass.
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