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It took multiple nervy restarts and overtime, but Tyler Reddick earned a victory and the chance to kiss the famous bricks in Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Reddick appeared to be well on his way to victory during the stretch run, but he was tested by two late restarts with the checkered flag on the line. He responded in each of them, holding off the rest of the field.
He also won the Kwik Trip 250 earlier this month.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway @IMS
DOWN TO THE WIRE!<a href=”https://twitter.com/TylerReddick?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@TylerReddick</a> is a champion of the Racing Capital of the World!<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheBrickyard?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#TheBrickyard</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASCAR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NASCAR</a> <a href=”https://t.co/0U1zeBXPyl”>https://t.co/0U1zeBXPyl</a>
NASCAR on NBC @NASCARonNBC
RETWEET to congratulate <a href=”https://twitter.com/TylerReddick?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@TylerReddick</a> on WINNING at <a href=”https://twitter.com/IMS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@IMS</a>! <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASCAR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NASCAR</a> <a href=”https://t.co/H1aGan1C5t”>pic.twitter.com/H1aGan1C5t</a>
Sunday’s race was important as the season enters the stretch run ahead of the Cup Series playoffs. There were just two postseason berths for winless drivers available at the start of competition with 14 different drivers capturing checkered flags this year.
Outside of the shrinking bubble, one of the biggest pre-race storylines was whether AJ Allmendinger would continue his road-race dominance.
The 40-year-old was the defending champion at this event and had the opportunity for a weekend sweep after winning Saturday’s Xfinity Series race. The Associated Press (h/t ESPN) noted he won six of his last 11 road-course races ahead of Sunday’s competition.
Yet an action-filled Stage 1 that ultimately belonged to Chase Briscoe featured multiple spin-outs and a fire on pit road that knocked Chris Buescher two laps back.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway @IMS
Back Home Again…<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASCAR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NASCAR</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheBrickyard?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#TheBrickyard</a> <a href=”https://t.co/mX4bVrzLpQ”>https://t.co/mX4bVrzLpQ</a>
Lee Spencer @CandiceSpencer
Tough break for <a href=”https://twitter.com/Chris_Buescher?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Chris_Buescher</a> He really felt confident entering today’s race. Gained a lot of information during a Watkins Glen test last month. Still adds, “I can’t see.” Asking for towels <a href=”https://twitter.com/RFKracing?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@RFKracing</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/IMS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@IMS</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASCAR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NASCAR</a>
Briscoe elected to stay out to chase a playoff point and was rewarded during the shortest stage of the race.
While Briscoe got off to an ideal start, the middle of the race was one to forget for many of the sport’s biggest names. Chase Elliott went for a spin but avoided damage, Kevin Harvick lost multiple laps in pit road because of a flat tire and Aric Almirola saw his day come to an early end.
Harvick’s day eventually came to an early end as well.
Elsewhere, Allmendinger got a flat tire when he went off into the gravel, which was a tough break since he was running in the top five at the time.
NASCAR on NBC @NASCARonNBC
Trouble for Kevin Harvick!<br><br>The Stewart-Haas Racing driver, who needs a win to make the playoffs, spins. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASCAR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NASCAR</a><br><br>???? : <a href=”https://twitter.com/nbc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@nbc</a> <a href=”https://t.co/NRFNpaSnkR”>pic.twitter.com/NRFNpaSnkR</a>
To Christopher Bell’s credit, he managed to avoid the chaos and win Stage 2.
It appeared as if the third stage would be relatively straightforward when Reddick took the lead and Ryan Blaney received only fuel during his pit stop. It seemed to set up a race for the finish between Reddick, Blaney and Bell, although that took a temporary back seat when a brake issue for Kyle Larson led to a massive wreck with Ty Dillon.
That was just the start of the drama, as damage to the front of Bell’s car led to a pressure-packed restart for the final few laps after Reddick built a solid lead.
Elliott played his way back into the picture ahead of the restart and figured to be a threat for the leader, but he was one of a number of cars that spun out during the restart, forcing another.
Reddick also prevailed in the overtime push, clinching his second win in a five-race span.
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