Tyler Reddick Claims Back-to-Back Victory at Atlanta

By Holly Cain; NASCAR Wire Service

HAMPTON, Ga. (February 22, 2025) – Tyler Reddick answered his DAYTONA 500 victory a week ago with a dramatic double overtime comeback win Sunday evening in the AutoTrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway, marking the first time in nearly two decades a driver has won the first two races of the NASCAR Cup Series season.

Even though Reddick’s No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota’s right front fender was damaged in an earlier incident, he was able to persevere, zigging-and-zagging and making a strong move to the front on the very last lap. He finished a mere .164-second ahead of fellow Toyota driver, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe who gave Reddick the crucial winning push to get ahead of his 23XI teammate Bubba Wallace and the Chevrolets of Carson Hocevar and Ross Chastain.

Reddick’s work makes him only the sixth driver in NASCAR history to win the opening two races of the year. NASCAR Hall of Famer Matt Kenseth was the last to do so in 2009.

Reddick, who actually led a race best 53 of the 271 laps, jumped out of his damaged Toyota Camry to retrieve the checkered flag, pausing to take a long look at the right front damage – and missing fender - then smiling and wondering aloud how he pulled that victory off as well after being collected in a nine-car accident only 40 laps from the end of the scheduled distance.

“That’s crazy, how about that EchoPark Speedway?’’ the 30-year old Californian yelled to the packed grandstands. “This place over the years it just puts on some amazing racing. Handling matters here, but I don’t know, I guess determination outweighs handling.”

His team co-owner, NBA legend Michael Jordan was equally as jubilant with Reddick’s rebound. 
“Tyler did an unbelievable job, both teams did an unbelievable job’’ Jordan said, also referring to Wallace, who led  46 laps but finished eighth in the final all-out push to the checkers.

The Chevrolets of Trackhouse Racing Ross Chastain and Spire Motorsports teammates Hocevar and Daniel Suarez rounded out the top-five behind Reddick and Briscoe.

In another phenomenal comeback story, Chastain’s Trackhouse Racing teammate Shane Van Gisbergen finished sixth his best oval finish in his two years in the series – even after the former Australian Supercars Series champion was caught up in three of the yellow flag incidents on the day.

The NASCAR Cup Series moves to its first road course of the season March 1 for the DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne at Austin’s famed Circuit of the Americas.