RACE RECAP
Tyler Reddick made NASCAR history at EchoPark Speedway, rallying from a mid-race wreck to win the Autotrader 400 in double overtime — making him just the sixth driver ever to sweep the first two races of a Cup season, and the first since Matt Kenseth in 2009.
The drama started early when Josh Berry and Ty Gibbs tangled on lap 81, ending both their days. Kyle Larson — who led 48 laps — was collected trying to cut off Shane van Gisbergen at the end of Stage 2. Kyle Busch spun after contact with Noah Gragson, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was taken out in a lap 103 pileup triggered by Riley Herbst.
Then came the big one. On lap 224, Denny Hamlin lost it on the high side and triggered a nine-car wreck that collected Reddick, Logano, Byron, Allmendinger, and others. Only 28 cars remained on the lead lap. Reddick's No. 45 Toyota lost its entire right-front fender but somehow kept going.
With four laps left, William Byron's tire gave out and triggered an 11-car chain reaction involving Cindric, Gilliland, and Cody Ware — sending the race to overtime. On the first OT restart, Carson Hocevar turned defending race winner Christopher Bell into the outside wall, forcing a second overtime attempt.
On the final restart, Bubba Wallace — who dominated with 46 laps led and a Stage 2 win — jumped too high blocking Hocevar. Reddick dove underneath his own teammate, and with no right-front fender, held off Chase Briscoe by just 0.164 seconds to take the checkered flag.
Michael Jordan, standing on pit road in the cold, summed it up: "I'm so hyped I don't even feel the cold right now."
BY THE NUMBERS
KEY TAKEAWAYS
VALUE PICKS
BUSTS
PERFECT LINEUP
Optimal 5-driver roster for this race
| Group | Driver | Salary | Finish | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
A | $12 | 1 | 124.60 2 × 62.30 | |
B | $10 | 8 | 100.80 1.75 × 57.60 | |
C | $11 | 2 | 77.55 1.5 × 51.70 | |
D | $10 | 4 | 55.25 1.25 × 44.20 | |
E | $6 | 6 | 37.10 1 × 37.10 |