Tyler Reddick had Ryan Blaney breathing down his neck in the closing laps at Phoenix Raceway. The 23XI Racing driver wasn’t about to let him steal the win.
Reddick held off Blaney by 0.801 seconds to win Sunday’s Freeway Insurance 500, delivering a hard-fought NASCAR Cup Series victory after a chaotic afternoon in the desert.
Chase Elliott finished third, Christopher Bell took fourth and Corey Heim rounded out the top five.
Reddick led just 18 of the 312 laps, but he was out front when it counted. His victory came after a race featuring six cautions, 21 lead changes and a disastrous ending for Kyle Larson, whose afternoon ended in the garage.
Tyler Reddick Holds Off Ryan Blaney for Phoenix Victory
Blaney started on the pole and led the first 44 laps before the afternoon’s opening caution shook up the running order.
Riley Herbst and Michael McDowell collided in Turn 4 while battling for 20th, bringing out the yellow flag and sending teams down pit road.
That opened the door for Logano.
While several contenders elected to take two tires, Logano took four and worked his way forward, passing Denny Hamlin on Lap 51 to win the opening stage.
The three-time Cup Series champion wasn’t finished. Logano also won Stage 2, collecting the maximum stage points available Sunday.
Christopher Bell emerged as another serious contender, leading a race-high 85 laps. Logano led 84, while Blaney paced the field for 51.
But the closing laps belonged to Reddick.
Blaney recovered from handling problems that had threatened to derail his afternoon and mounted a late challenge. Reddick, however, maintained his advantage and crossed the finish line less than a second ahead of the No. 12 Ford.
Elliott completed the podium, while Heim secured a top-five result.
Kyle Larson’s Championship Chase Takes a Hit at Phoenix
Sunday was far less enjoyable for Kyle Larson.
Larson entered the race as the Cup Series points leader but struggled with his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet almost immediately.
He started 22nd and made little progress during the opening stage. A two-tire strategy failed to improve his position, and his handling problems only grew worse.
“No grip. No turn. Definitely no rear,” Larson complained over the radio.
A flat right-front tire eventually sent Larson into the wall, bringing out a caution and forcing him to the garage.
His team initially attempted to assess the damage, but the repairs couldn’t be completed. Larson was officially out of the race, finishing 34th, 31 laps behind the winner.
The early exit was especially costly because Larson also failed to score stage points.
Denny Hamlin endured a difficult finish of his own, coming home 28th after falling a lap down.
Full NASCAR Cup Series Results From Phoenix Raceway
Here is the complete finishing order from Sunday’s Freeway Insurance 500.
- Tyler Reddick
- Ryan Blaney
- Chase Elliott
- Christopher Bell
- Corey Heim
- Joey Logano
- Daniel Suárez
- Chase Briscoe
- Ross Chastain
- Ty Gibbs
- Josh Berry
- Carson Hocevar
- Noah Gragson
- Todd Gilliland
- Zane Smith
- Brad Keselowski
- Bubba Wallace
- Ryan Preece
- Austin Cindric
- Connor Zilisch
- William Byron
- Chris Buescher
- AJ Allmendinger
- Austin Hill
- Erik Jones
- Shane van Gisbergen
- Cole Custer
- Denny Hamlin
- Alex Bowman
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Ty Dillon
- Riley Herbst
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Kyle Larson
- Cody Ware
- Michael McDowell
- Austin Dillon
Reddick’s victory came in the seventh race of NASCAR’s 10-race Cup Series Chase, leaving three races remaining in the championship battle.
Who Won the NASCAR Race Today at Phoenix? Winner and Full Results