Tyler Reddick overcame double overtime chaos with a damaged fender to win Sunday’s Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway, marking back-to-back victories for 23XI Racing just a week after his Daytona 500 triumph.
The second race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship held at the reconfigured 1.54-mile quad-oval in Hampton, Georgia, unfolded over 271 laps of intense competition marred by multiple cautions, overtime restarts, and dramatic incidents that tested every driver’s mettle.
Starting from the pole in his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota, Reddick showcased exceptional speed and strategy, leading 53 laps across 13 segments while rebounding from a mid-race fender-damaging crash to claim victory ahead of Chase Briscoe.
Early on, Joey Logano in the No. 22 Penske Ford seized the lead from Reddick on lap 1 as the duo traded the top spot multiple times in the opening laps before Brad Keselowski briefly held sway from laps 24 to 28.
Austin Cindric launched an assault from the back of the grid to claim Stage 1 win for Team Penske, followed by Wallace, Larson, Byron and Elliott.
As Stage 2 commenced, Bubba Wallace in the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota rocketed to the front, leading 46 laps over 10 stints and demonstrating the manufacturer’s strength on the abrasive surface.
The first caution came on Lap 81 as Christopher Bell aggressively dove low in Turn 3, forcing a four-wide situation that sent Josh Berry and Ty Gibbs slamming into the wall while lightly tagging Denny Hamlin and Riley Herbst.
Wallace held onto the lead after the restart as Kyle Larson mounted a fierce challenge but chaos ensued again toward the stage end.
A drag race to the line saw William Byron and Wallace neck-and-neck only for Larson to block Shane van Gisbergen aggressively, spinning both into the infield grass and handing Wallace stage 2 win with 10 bonus points.
Heading to Stage 3, Briscoe and Hamlin took control of the race in their Joe Gibbs Fords before Wallace eventually reclaimed the lead.
However, further chaos ensued as Logano squeezed up in front of Hamlin and the No. 11 hit the wall, triggering another multi-car crash which collected Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, Connor Zilisch, Michael McDowell, Ty Dillon and Chris Buescher.
Reddick was composed amid the bedlam that cost him his right-front fender yet he maintained blistering pace without major aerodynamic compromise, ultimately taking the checkered flag 0.164s ahead of Briscoe.
“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.”
23XI Racing co-owner, NBA legend Michael Jordan, hailed the phenomenal back-to-back Tyler Reddick wins.
“Tyler did an unbelievable job, both teams did an unbelievable job” Jordan said, also referring to Bubba Wallace, who finished eighth. “I wanted one of them to win. I feel bad for Bubba because he had an unbelievable day, but Tyler drove his ass off.
“I’m very happy for Tyler and very happy for 23XI. The guys worked hard all summer and they never gave up. This is the fruit of their labor, and for us to come out and win the first two races says a lot about our team.”
Ross Chastain muscled through the top five in a last minute dash to finish third as Carson Hocevar stunned the paddock with a career-best fourth-place run.
Trackhouse duo of Daniel Suarez and Van Gisbergen rounded out the top six, the latter marking his best Cup oval result.
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Full Race Results: 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway
