Tyler Reddick raises the trophy after winning Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He also secured the season points championship in the finale.HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Tyler Reddick opened Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s first season in retirement with a victory and closed it with a NASCAR championship.
Reddick won the Xfinity Series finale Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway to earn the second-tier circuit’s season title. Reddick, 22, was perhaps a long shot behind Christopher Bell and Cole Custer, but with team owner Earnhardt – who retired from racing last November – watching from his pit box, he drove away from the contenders and bookended his rookie season with two massive trips to victory lane.
“I just knew we had to execute. I thought we had a chance if we just made it to Homestead – it rewards my aggression,” Reddick said. “We hit the wall a lot, but the car kept in one piece, enough for me to get to the end. It was an up-and-down year. We did everything we had to do in the playoffs, and we wound up with the championship.
“We can hang our hats on that, and people will say others were more consistent. We got it when it counted.”
Reddick won the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, beating JRM teammate Elliott Sadler to the line in the closest finish in NASCAR history. His next win was in the final race, when everything was on the line.