NASCAR Barometer: Reddick Claims First Cup Victory

The trend of first-time winners continued in the Kwik Trip 250 at Road America. Tyler Reddick dueled Chase Elliott in the final fuel run to muscle by and edge away to win his first NASCAR Cup Series race, making it three first-time series winners from three road course races so far this season. Reddick played the long game Sunday, using pit strategy to gain track position at the start of each stage, inching him closer each time to challenge for the lead. Once there, he applied the pressure in all the right places to take the lead and spend the last 16 laps out front, claiming a long-awaited first series victory, which propelled him back into the playoff picture. 

Having entered the Road America race weekend outside of the playoff positions Reddick's win pushed Kevin Harvick below the cutline and into 17th in the championship standings. Christopher Bell now occupies the 16th and final playoff position with just three spots available for nonwinners. With playoff pressure building the teams head east to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the second time this season and second since reconfiguration of the track made it more of a superspeedway style race. William Byron won the March race, but the tight racing encouraged by the track's reprofiling is sure to throw open the door to what could be yet another first-time 2022 winner as the playoff march continues.

UPGRADE

Tyler Reddick – Sunday's Quick Trip 250 was Reddick's moment. The veteran driver put in a powerful drive to win his first Cup Series race and become the fifth different first-time winner this season. Reddick stalked Elliott through the final pit stops and then harried him when the pair's battle resumed on track, ultimately making the pass and pulling away for the win. He is now the 13th different winner this season and moved the No. 8 from 18th in the standings into the playoff positions, further tightening the screws on those still winless this season. Reddick had been on the cusp of a victory since last season, and Sunday's breakthrough could be just the start of a long run of top finishes for him.

Chase Elliott – Elliott qualified on pole and dominated the opening stage at Road America. The former champion pitted the lap after the majority of contenders just prior to the stage finish, but he still managed to finish the segment in the points in 10th. That advantage transferred into the second stage, which he spent the majority of in the lead, too. He also pitted before that stage finish, setting up the final battle against Reddick. The No. 9 machine looked like the car to beat in all afternoon, but wasn't as quick once the No. 8 got to his bumper. Elliott put up a massive fight to stay in front, but didn't have enough to hold off Reddick and was forced to settle for second. Elliott has never won at his home track, but he does have six Atlanta top-10 finishes with an average finish of 12.6 from eight career starts.

Chase Briscoe – Briscoe stayed on track and cycled to the lead to win the opening stage Sunday at Road America. The playoff point that comes along with that win will come in handy as he battles to advance through the knock-out rounds after winning at Phoenix in March. The four laps he led to claim the stage win were all he would have for the day, though. He failed to score stage points in the second segment and raced around the top 15 for the remainder of the distance. His 14th-place finish was his third top-15 result in the last five races, which is a good string of momentum as he and the team work to build their package for the playoffs. Briscoe has three prior Atlanta starts with an average finish of 17.7 and started on pole there earlier this season.

Ryan Blaney – Blaney opted not to pit near the finish of the second stage and collected another playoff point as he continues his quest for his first 2022 victory by taking the stage win. Like Briscoe, those laps were all that he spent out front, though. Without the speed to race for the lead Blaney spent the remainder of the day near the top 10 and finished 11th. He'll be happy to get back to oval racing this week as the playoff battle continues to tighten, though. Blaney won at Atlanta last season and started on the front row there earlier this season. He led 15 laps that day and won the second stage before finishing 17th after fighting in the draft at the finish put him into the wall and down the order.

Ross Chastain – Even after two wins this season Chastain continues to impress. The Trackhouse Racing Team has been quick on every type of circuit this season, and Chastain has taken advantage of that to be one of the most consistent top finishers this season. His fourth-place finish Sunday was his fourth straight top-10 and puts him second in total points to Elliott. This year's form has sent Chastain up the value list for fantasy rosters and will likely be another top choice again this week at Atlanta. He has five series starts at the track, but most importantly was the runner-up finisher there with the new configuration in March. Chastain will want to go one better than that this week to claim his third victory of the season.

DOWNGRADE

Bubba Wallace – Sunday was a race to forget for Wallace. The afternoon featured multiple off-track excursions, one of which was lucky not finish his day completely beached in a gravel trap. He drove the car out, spraying gravel all over the racing surface, only to retire the car less than 10 laps before the finish. Four of this team's last five races resulted in finishes 26th or lower, too. He entered the race weekend at Elkhart Lake more than 100 points out of the playoff positions and will need a race win to get into that battle. One might think the new-look Atlanta track might give him that chance, but in six career starts he has yet to finish in the top 10 there. He did lead three laps and finish 13th there in the spring, which is something to build from though.

Austin Dillon – Dillon's day at Road America ended on the opposite side of the spectrum as his teammate's. He was doing well to keep his car in the mix through the afternoon, preserving his equipment for a chance to climb higher up the order in the final miles. Despite that effort he was one of the few that suffered mechanical issues as his brakes gave out late in the running. He tumbled down the order with the issue, pulling off the track just a few laps from the finish. Luckily for Richard Childress Racing his issue didn't bring out a caution, which allowed his teammate to finish the race under green. Dillon will be aiming to regroup this week at Atlanta, which features the draft-style racing that is more suited to his strengths than the road courses. 

Denny Hamlin – Like the rest of the Joe Gibbs Racing organization, Hamlin had a forgettable Road America race. The team has not found the package to help their drivers on these twisty courses and Hamlin spent the majority of the afternoon in anonymity. He led just one lap as the field cycled through pit stops in the final stage but was never competitive, which is unusual for the No. 11. The team is in no danger in the playoff battle having two wins to their credit, but curing their ails on road courses will be something they need to focus on with Charlotte's road course featuring in the second round of elimination races. Up next is Atlanta, though. Hamlin has one win at that track from 2012, but crashed out of the new-look race in March.

Joey Logano – Logano was the lowest finishing Team Penske driver Sunday. The former champion did not get the most out of qualifying and spent most of the afternoon mired in traffic. The lone bright spot for him was the finish of the first stage as he was one of the cars opting to stay on track to collect stage points, finishing that segment fourth. That was as good as it got for him, though. He finished the race on the lead lap but in 27th position. It was an off day for the former champion, but it was also the third finish of 15th or lower he posted in the last five races. That isn't a trend he wants as the playoffs approach. The effort to right that trajectory begins this week at Atlanta where Logano led 12 laps and finished ninth earlier this season.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Kyle Busch – Road courses used to be one of the many types of tracks Busch could count on being competitive. That hasn't been the case this year, though. In three road course outings he has a best finish of just 28th including last week's trip to Road America. He finished last on the lead lap, with a spin early in the running, despite qualifying 13th. Busch has not gotten the hang of this new car on these circuits, which must be a concern for the team as the tracks make up a larger percentage of the schedule than past years. For now he will have to make up ground lost on ovals. Atlanta should be better for him. He has two series wins at the track and led 21 laps in the spring race before crashing.