Tyler Reddick is on a roll. The driver of the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota captured the win in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, which marked his seventh consecutive top-10 finish.
In the past few seasons, 23XI Racing has had great speed in the Irish Hills. It’s just been a matter of execution. Finally, withstanding a late race caution and two overtime finishes, the No. 45 McDonald’s Toyota Camry crossed the line first. Not only did Reddick get his second win of the season, but he also secured the regular season points lead with two races to go before the playoffs are set to begin.
Only in their fourth full-time season, 23Xi Racing is confidently taking the championship fight to legacy organizations like Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing.
Reddick’s teammate, Bubba Wallace, showed the same pace as the No. 45 on Sunday and Monday. Through the first half of the FireKeepers Casino 400, the No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry paced the field, making an impressive three-wide move to get the lead. Unfortunately, during a restart at the end of Stage 1, Kyle Larson got loose and spun up the track. When the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro got loose, it collected Wallace and several other cars. Notably, Chris Buescher received damage to the left front splitter of his car, a potential nightmare for a team that is tight on points around the playoff bubble.
Another driver who needed a mistake-free day was Ross Chastain, who spun on the first overtime attempt, hurting his chance of capturing critical points to help his playoff standings.
Between these wrecks was a bizarre incident where Corey LaJoie’s car flipped after light contact with Noah Gragson. Heading into the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, this raises some concerns.
Join Taylor Kitchen in this episode of Above The Yellow Line to talk about all the action in the Irish Hills!
