Tyler Reddick claimed his fourth win of the season in the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday afternoon. But it was not without its obstacles.
After leading the first 45 laps, the team had a problem with the right-front tire change, resulting in a 16-plus pit stop. Reddick, however, rallied to finish second in Stage 1.
But that was not the only problem that Reddick’s team had to address.
They also had to change the battery and a faulty alternator before pit road was open, resulting in a penalty. for pitting before pit road opened. Reddick had to restart Stage 2 at the back of the field.
With a malfunctioning alternator, Reddick had to conserve power by turning off any unnecessary electrical drains, including his cool suit.
Brad Keselowski won Stage 1, followed by Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, Daniel Suárez and William Byron.
Keselowski also won Stage 2. Buescher finished second as Larson, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, Byron, Cindric, Ty Gibbs and Suárez completed the top 10.
“All in all, a great day for us,” Keselowski said. “Won two stages, led a lot of laps, scored a bunch of points. So, a lot to be proud of. The team just needs a little pace. All three of our cars are executing really well and getting good finishes. With a little bit of pace, we can win these races. We’re showing ourselves as a team that is highly capable.”
Despite all the obstacles he faced, a relentless Reddick pursued Keselowski, passing him for the lead on Lap 266, and claiming the victory.
Yeah, I mean, ever since I made my first lap here in an O’Reilly Auto Parts car, there’s just something about this racetrack that’s so special, so challenging. It’s been really fun for my evolution as a driver over the years, my time in O’Reilly Auto Parts car, my time at RCR and what we’ve perfected, my time here at 23XI.
“Just really proud of everybody, and it’s cool to get boss man his fourth win on the year.
“I know never to give up,” Reddick said. “I think it’s very fitting that when we finally get our first win here at Darlington that the Lady in Black would test us like that. We’ve been so close so many times.
“I mean, Lap 1, we had the charging problem where the battery wasn’t charging at all. All day long, just not running fans. Sweat my tail off inside the race car, and we knew it was going to be physical. Really worn out, but I guess I don’t need as much of that cooling stuff as I normally have.”
Keselowski finished second as Ryan Blaney, Carson Hocevar, Austin Cindric, Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suárez, William Byron, Chris Buescher and Erik Jones rounded out the top 10.
Next week, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway for the Cook Out 400 on Sunday, March 29, at 3:30 pm ET on FS1.
Complete Results:
- (45) Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota
- (6) Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing Ford
- (12) Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford
- (77) Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- (2) Austin Cindric, Team Penske Ford
- (54) Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- (7) Daniel Suarez, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- (24) William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- (17) Chris Buescher, RFK Racing Ford
- (43) Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club Toyota
- (11) Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- (19) Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- (60) Ryan Preece, RFK Racing Ford
- (97) Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
- (9) Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- (1) Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
- (21) Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing Ford
- (88) Connor Zilisch, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
- (20) Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- (71) Michael McDowell, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- (8) Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- (38) Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports Ford
- (34) Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports Ford
- (48) Justin Allgaier, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- (3) Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- (4) Noah Gragson, Front Row Motorsports Ford
- (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Legacy Motor Club Toyota
- (41) Cole Custer, Haas Factory Team Chevrolet
- (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet
- (16) AJ Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- (10) Ty Dillon, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- (5) Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- (22) Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford
- (23) Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota
- (35) Riley Herbst, 23XI Racing Toyota
- (51) Cody Ware, Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
- (66) Timmy Hill, Garage 66 Ford
