Last weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway reminded us of the great championship battles from over a decade ago.
Homestead-Miami Speedway is well known for producing exciting racing, with a wide open surface, multiple lanes, and plenty of passing opportunities. However, anyone will tell you that the true speed comes from riding the fence – running just a few inches away from the wall. As a result, drivers who excel on dirt – and are experienced at “running the cushion” – have a well-documented advantage, with dirt ace Kyle Larson notably putting on a clinic with surgical precision last season.
However, Larson seems to be missing much of that precision in his driving this year, with numerous miscues – including an incident at Las Vegas two weeks ago – putting the season wins leader in a precarious playoff points position (try saying that three times fast). In addition, he’s not the only playoff driver with experience on dirt. Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick have shown that they can driver on that razor’s edge as well, and Ryan Blaney comes from a prestigious dirt racing family. Furthermore, playoff contender Denny Hamlin has won at Homestead-Miami three times.
Larson started on the front row with Reddick, and showed speed early, but struggled to catch Reddick and Bell. As the laps wound down in Stage 3, Reddick’s crew chief, Billy Scott, made a brave call to stay out longer than everyone else, returning Reddick to the lead. Unfortunately, with less than 20 to go, Reddick eventually had to come in to grab tires and fuel. Just two laps later, Larson would spin while battling Blaney for the lead while lapping Austin Dillon. This brought nearly the entire field to pit road for fresh rubber – which returned Reddick to the lead.
Suddenly, Scott’s call seemed like a brilliant Hail Mary for the regular season champion, who was unlikely to point his way in after Joey Logano‘s win last week. However, Reddick faced a challenge from Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney, and the result was an incredible battle to close out the race, with Reddick making a downright supernatural pass in turn 4 to clinch his Championship 4 berth. The pass has to be seen to be believed – there is absolutely no way the car should have stuck, but it did when it mattered most. It’s a testament to Reddick’s fearlessness, skill, and confidence, and as of right now, he’s my favorite to win the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
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