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What we learned after Tyler Reddick's wild Talladega win
NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick (45) celebrates winning the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

What we learned after Tyler Reddick's wild Talladega win

By Samuel Stubbs  |  Last updated 4/21/24

After Brad Keselowski got into Michael McDowell in the tri-oval on the final lap, Tyler Reddick swooped in to steal his first win of 2024. Here are four things we learned after a wild GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. 

For the second straight year, a bad last-lap block costs someone a win Last year, it was Bubba Wallace who threw a late block and ended up wrecked. This year, it was McDowell, who led a race-high 36 laps but ended up 31st in the finishing order after a late block on Brad Keselowski went wrong. McDowell drove one of the best races of his life on Sunday, starting first and nearly finishing there, but the late block not only cost him the win, but a top-five finish as well. He plummets down to 26th in points after Talladega. 

Ford misses out on their best chance for victory yet

All week, Ford heard fans and pundits alike claiming that Talladega was a must-win event for the manufacturer. Despite having the top two cars in the field coming into the tri-oval on the last lap, Ford drivers wrecked each other and will send the suits in Detroit back to the drawing board. Champions in Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney were non-factors throughout Stage 3, while Stage One winner Austin Cindric faded to 23rd at the checkered flag. Ford still has 26 chances to claim a victory this year, but the fact that they came away empty-handed after Talladega is alarming. 

Keselowski comes oh-so-close to breaking the winless streak. 2012 Cup Series champion Keselowski hadn't won a race since April of 2021 heading into Sunday's race. His last win just so happened to come at Talladega, and Keselowski looked to be in prime position to win his first race as a team owner. After McDowell threw an ill-timed block, the road was clear for Keselowski to reach the checkered flag first. However, the slightest of check-ups allowed Reddick to drive around him on the outside and put Keselowski in the runner-up position for the second straight week. 

Toyota's master plan goes terribly wrong

With strategy playing its hand in Stage 3, six Toyota drivers decided to top off their cars with fuel. As they were catching the main pack, however, Erik Jones, Wallace, and John Hunter Nemechek all stacked up and crashed, collecting Denny Hamlin in the process. Without the crash, they likely ran the lead pack down and had a shot to win, but the four Toyota drivers instead had to sit on the sideline and watch Reddick win instead. Expect the next Toyota competition meeting to be more awkward than usual. 

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