What happened?
Tyler Reddick ended a strong day with a win by pulling away from Austin Cindric after two wild late-race restarts on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on Sunday, July 31. Harrison Burton, Todd Gilliland and Bubba Wallace rounded out the rest of an unusual top five.
Indy marks Reddick’s second career NASCAR Cup Series victory and only his second career NASCAR road course victory as well. It is also both Gilliland and Burton’s first career Cup Series top-five race results.
How did it happen?
For pole-sitter Reddick, everything was going according to plan for the entire race.
Or, at least it was until there were five laps to go.
It was a similar sight akin to what we saw when the Cup Series raced at Road America just less than a month ago. Reddick led over Chase Elliott who didn’t quite have the speed the No. 8 did. With 10 laps to go, it appeared it was the Richard Childress Racing driver’s race to lose. Reddick had a full 3.5-second gap over the No. 9 and it wasn’t shrinking. With fresh tires and enough fuel to make it to the end, all Reddick had to do was stay out in front and pray for the race to remain green until the end.
His prayers were not answered.
Caution!
We’ll get another restart with less than 5 laps to go! #Verizon200
📺: NBC | 📲: https://t.co/r61CT6jvrS pic.twitter.com/aEHNhwc5t0— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 31, 2022
The entire day had provided some wild restarts when the field entered turn 1 each time, and that was before there were less than five laps to go. So, everybody held their breath as the field slammed their way into the first sharp left-hand turn.
Of course, it ended as everyone expected.
THEY SPIN!! pic.twitter.com/kT0LzGeqqI
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 31, 2022
The good news for Reddick at the end of the melee was that he didn’t have to worry about Elliott anymore. However, with RCR teammate Austin Dillon stuck in the gravel, it meant another restart the No. 8 had to fend off.
On the overtime restart, Reddick cleared the field before entering the fatal funnel of turn 1. However, while the rest of the pack leaned on one another through the first two corners, Ross Chastain used the runoff route NASCAR had provided to drivers while entering turn 1 in case they needed it.
Chastain rejoined the track racing Reddick for the lead. The two wrestled for the top spot, but Reddick was able to keep it for the final lap on his way to his second career win.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Frontstretch…