HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Decked out in a Tyler Reddick hat and a Tyler Reddick t-shirt, there was no doubt who this fan would be rooting for as he stood on the grid prior to Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. And this fan had an inkling what was about to unfold, saying he expected a “beast mode” type performance, referencing the sponsor on Reddick’s hood.
On the pole at the epitome of a “driver’s track” — where their ability is best allowed to shine — Reddick had a prime opportunity to pull off a signature win, incomparable to anything he had yet accomplished in his five-year career.
What the fan prophesied proved correct. In a thrilling last lap, Reddick somehow passed two cars while on older tires to snag a victory that assures him a spot in the four-driver Championship 4 finale. And the fan who before the race thought this was possible was both surprised and not surprised when he saw his favorite driver in the lead coming off Turn 4 headed toward the checkered flag.
That fan was Clarence Reddick, Tyler’s father.
“When he left (Turn) 1 and middle (Turn) 2, I couldn’t see him anymore, so I wasn’t sure. I’m like, ‘Man, I don’t know if we’re going to get there at that point,’” Clarence Reddick said after the race. “I can’t see until they come back around, and I look down toward Turn 4, and I’m like, ‘Holy s—, Tyler’s in front of Blaney. I mean, like, how the hell did that happen?’”
INSANITY!! 😱😱😱
TYLER REDDICK WINS AT HOMESTEAD! #NASCARPLAYOFFS pic.twitter.com/YX631hRiS8
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 27, 2024
Clarence Reddick wasn’t the only one who had difficulty comprehending what happened. With good reason.
Fresh tires are everything on Homestead’s abrasive surface. If you have them, you can drive forward as if everyone else is standing still. Conversely, the older your tires are, the bigger your disadvantage.
So while it may not have seemed like much that Reddick had two additional laps on his tires compared to Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin, who were ahead of him on the final lap, it does mean something here. Enough to where few figured Reddick had any chance, including the eventual race winner.
“I cannot believe we won the race on older tires in a place like Homestead,” he said. “Shouldn’t happen, but we did it.”
Reddick found a way to pass both Blaney and Hamlin, running a lap over a half-second quicker than race-leader Blaney. He turned the improbable into reality, demonstrating exactly why 23XI Racing co-owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin heavily recruited Reddick two years ago to their upstart team.
Reddick darted to the inside of Hamlin entering Turn 1, completing the pass off Turn 2. Then, Blaney largely dictated how he approached the decisive final two corners. Whatever the defending Cup champion did, Reddick would have to do the opposite. This was his only option.
Blaney took a lower line, conceding the top to Reddick. That decision will likely eat at Blaney for some time, especially if he’s one of four drivers eliminated following next week’s semifinal round elimination race. Doing so played into Reddick’s wheelhouse.
The top lane is generally the preferred way around this mile-and-a-half track, certainly for Reddick whose penchant for running mere inches from the wall is why he excels here. He’s comfortable up there, even on older tires where lack of grip may be an issue. Turns 3 and 4 also happen to be his favorite in all of racing. So if his fate in a must-win race was to be determined this way, so be it.
“I had no idea, but I was willing to take the risk and find out,” Reddick said. “That’s just the corner I was in. I knew for us to make it to (the championship), a win here today was really going to help our odds.
There was no bobble. No close call. Driving his car deep into Turn 3 as it would go, Reddick made it stick, sweeping by Blaney almost instantly. Just like that it was over. There was no time for Blaney to defend, all he could was absorb the proverbial stomach punch.
We will never get over this. #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/H2Ay61A4sF
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 27, 2024
Getting out of his car after a heartbreaking second-place finish, Blaney shook his head several times, the disbelief apparent.
“I thought I got into (Turn) 3 hard and (Reddick) just went in there and it stuck for him, which is really impressive,” Blaney said. “I hate to give one away like that. I don’t know if we gave it away. … It is a shame.”
As Blaney contemplated what he could’ve done differently, if anything, the mood was far more festive a few hundred yards down pit road. The party was on, a celebration that included Jordan giving the diminutive Reddick a bearhug and lifting him in the air.
If you’re going to drive for a MJ-owned team, you better be adept at coming up big in clutch moments. And for the third time in nine races, Reddick has risen to meet the challenge. Last month, he overcame a nasty stomach bug to capture the regular-season points championship, and two weeks ago, he staved off playoff elimination with a thrilling, come-from-behind drive to advance.
“Little kid drove his ass off,” Jordan said. “I’m proud of him.
“Oh, man, he just let go. He just went for it and I’m glad. We needed it. We needed it.”
With a beverage in hand, Clarence Reddick thought of how to best describe what his son did. Not just that he won a pivotal playoff race with heightened stakes, but how he did it.
Then Dad eyed his drink and smiled.
“The move on the wall was extremely aggressive,” Clarence Reddick said. “That was kind of ‘beast mode.’ That was like, ‘I’m not going to be denied’ type of thing.”
Yeah, “beast mode” is on the mark.
Every great driver needs a signature moment. The one highlight that encapsulates who they are behind the wheel.
On Sunday, Tyler Reddick had his.
(Top photo of Tyler Reddick celebrating Sunday’s win: James Gilbert / Getty Images)
