In an instant classic finish, Tyler Reddick ripped the top side in turns 3 and 4 of the final lap to get by Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin and win the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
With the victory, Reddick clinches a spot in the Championship 4 for the first time in his Cup Series career. It is also the first Championship 4 appearance for 23XI Racing. Reddick was in a position to make that last lap pass due in large part to a bold strategy decision.
Billy Scott’s Hail Mary Call for No. 45 Team
The No. 45 team had a rough day on pit road for most of Sunday’s race. Due to Homestead’s older surface, four tires were a must for every pit stop, making execution and the finer details a priority.
As the polesitter, Reddick and the No. 45 team got to choose the first stall on pit road, which is normally considered an advantage. However, it proved to be the opposite as Reddick lost a combined eight spots across all yellow flag pit stops. Reddick experienced issues getting traction to properly accelerate out of the pit stall to the pit exit line, and it cost him vital track position multiple times.
On lap 219, William Byron became the first playoff driver to pit during the long green-flag run on the final stage. Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Blaney and Christopher Bell followed over the next couple of laps. Hamlin waited another eight laps before going to the service of this crew, replicating a strategy that led him to a stage two win.
Seeing the pit cycle and facing a likely must-win situation, Reddick’s crew chief Billy Scott went a different route. He kept Reddick out on the racetrack as long as possible, hoping to catch a caution to maintain the lead. Finally, Scott had no alternative but to call Reddick down pit road on lap 252 for tires and fuel.
It looked as if the pit strategy would not pay off for Reddick, Scott and the No. 45 team. But three laps later, they got a much-needed yellow flag when playoff foes Blaney and Larson got together, sending Larson spinning in turns 3 and 4.
This opened the door for Scott to make what proved to be a race-winning pit call, keeping Reddick on the racetrack while all of the other lead lap cars made pit stops. Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota only had a couple of green-flag laps on their tires, making staying out a possibility.
“We were backed into a corner,” Reddick told NBC Sports post-race about the pit strategy. “We had no other choice.”
Reddick’s win is a testament to how auto racing is truly a team sport. The crew chief made a call, the pit crew executed a clean stop just before the final caution, and Reddick made the clutch pass on the final lap.
No. 11 Crew’s Return to Form Almost Pays Off
The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing pit crew’s struggles during the 2024 playoffs have been well documented. Whether it was slow pit stops at Kansas Speedway or mistakes made last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a team that was normally among the best in the Cup Series was not up to snuff.
Under the final caution at Homestead, a clutch final pit stop at Homestead nearly changed the narrative for the No. 11 team. Hamlin entered pit road second for the final pit stop and left in that same position. Considering Blaney entered pit road with a decent gap on the rest of the field, it was the best Hamlin could do.
The much-maligned No. 11 crew put Hamlin in a position to win the race and a spot in the Championship 4. He nearly did just that, leading with two laps remaining. Ironically it was Reddick, the driver of a car that Hamlin co-owns, who dashed his hopes.
Hamlin now heads to Martinsville Speedway 18 points below the cut line. While not necessarily a must-win situation, Hamlin will need to have an exemplary day at The Paperclip in order to make the Championship 4.
Look Ahead to Next Week
The Round of 8 concludes next Sunday, Nov. 3, with the running of the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va. Coverage will start at 2 p.m. on NBC.
When it comes to Martinsville, the only thing you can expect is the unexpected. Between the tight corners and the Next Gen car’s short track performance, passes will be hard to come by on the racetrack. Not to mention the softer tire compounds Goodyear will bring to the track – the option tire we saw at North Wilkesboro Speedway and Richmond Raceway will serve as right-side tires, with even softer compounds in play for the left side.
Therefore, all sorts of pit strategies will be in play for teams desperate to win their way to Phoenix Raceway.
Andrew Stoddard joined Frontstretch in May of 2022 as an iRacing contributor. He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, the University of Richmond, and VCU. He works as an athletic communications specialist at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va.