Srigley Stats: Reddick Exits Superspeedway Slump; Leaves Keselowski with Runner-Up Finish (Again)

After a wild sequence of events on the final lap of Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway, it was Tyler Reddick who snatched a victory from the clutches of Ford drivers Michael McDowell and Brad Keselowski.

It's a triumph and subsequent celebration that will be remembered for quite some time, especially by team co-owner Michael Jordan, who after three seasons of frequenting a 23XI Racing pit box, finally got to see the organization win a NASCAR Cup Series event.

Adding icing to the cupcake, the six-time NBA champion even had his brand, Jordan Brand, on board the No. 45 Toyota Camry XSE for the victory, the second time the brand has visited Victory Lane in the NASCAR Cup Series in 10 starts.

It's the sixth career NASCAR Cup Series victory for both 23XI Racing and Tyler Reddick, with the 28-year-old driver now having three wins apiece for the two organizations in which he's spent the entirety of his career at NASCAR's top level.

The victory also marks the first on a traditional superspeedway in the NASCAR Cup Series for Reddick, making him only the third driver to have won a race at Daytona or Talladega in each of NASCAR's National Series -- joining Kyle Busch and Mark Martin.

Considering the recent superspeedway results for Reddick, with no top-15s on drafting track since joining 23XI Racing, the victory Sunday was kind of surprising, as usually, the Corning, California native isn't in a position to make the right moves when it comes down to crunch time.

Although things didn't technically work out as planned, with the six-driver pack of entirely Toyota Camrys tangling in a multi-car accident late in the going, derailing their strategy call, it was a Toyota that ended up in Victory Lane when it was all said and done, the first Talladega win for the manufacturer since 2021.

Heading to Dover Motor Speedway, 23XI Racing has some positive momentum, but in reality, it's Kansas Speedway the team has circled on the calendar, being one of three tracks that the organization has won at, doing so three times.

Photo Credit: James Gilbert, Getty Images

SPEEDWAY SPIN CYCLE PUTS NEW FACES OUT FRONT

With 72 lead changes among 23 drivers, most of the field took a turn at the front of the pack in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway, and in doing so, it created some amazing storylines.

In fact, except for single-car teams JTG Daugherty Racing and Wood Brothers Racing, every organization led at least one lap in Sunday's GEICO 500.

BJ Mcleod, running a partial schedule for Live Fast Motorsports, drove his No. 78 Chevrolet Camaro from the back of the field straight to the front, leading five laps, more than either driver or team has led in a single NASCAR Cup Series event.

The only other open team in the field, Beard Motorsports, had Anthony Alfredo lead the race for four circuits around the 2.66-mile superspeedway, the most laps the full-time Xfinity Series driver has led in a single Cup Series event.

Contesting his rookie campaign for Spire Motorsports, Carson Hocevar led his first lap in NASCAR Cup Series competition, driving the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro.

While it's not his rookie season, John Hunter Nemechek showed out in his return to the NASCAR Cup Series, leading 20 laps in Sunday's GEICO 500, more laps than he's ever led in a race at NASCAR's top level.

Additionally, it's the most laps LEGACY MOTOR CLUB has ever led in a NASCAR Cup Series event.

From one relatively new Cup Series team to another, Kaulig Racing had both of its drivers, Daniel Hemric and Shane Van Gisbergen, lead multiple laps in Sunday's GEICO 500, the first time the organization has accomplished this.

With Rick Ware Racing on the up-and-up this season, Justin Haley put his No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse out front for four circuits, matching the most laps an entry from RWR has led in a single NASCAR Cup Series event.

Things returned to relative normalcy at the end of Sunday's race, though, with Tyler Reddick crossing the start-finish line ahead of the 38-driver NASCAR Cup Series field, scoring his sixth career win.

Photo Credit: David Rosenblum, NKP, Courtesy of Ford Performance

KESELOWSKI'S QUEST FOR WIN CONTINUES

It's been a painful couple of weeks for Brad Keselowski...

Alright, that might be a slight exaggeration, but as the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion continues to look for his first victory as co-owner of RFK Racing, a pair of second-place finishes is brutal.

It's the first time since joining RFK Racing (and the first time in nearly four years) that Keselowski has picked up back-to-back top-two results at NASCAR's top level, but even in that instance, he managed to earn a win.

In fact, throughout Keselowski's 15-plus years competing in the NASCAR Cup Series, only three times as the Rochester Hills, Michigan native earned back-to-back second-place finishes.

So, what has been happening in the world of the NASCAR Cup Series since Brad Keselowski won his last race on April 25th, 2021?

Well, you might be surprised to find out, quite a bit:

• 108 NASCAR Cup Series races.
• 28,091 laps.
• 36,844.61 miles.
• 25 different winners.
• 6 first-time winners (Reddick, Chastain, Cindric, Suarez, SVG, Wallace).
• 29 debutants.
• 5 drivers born after 01/01/2000 debuted in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• 17 NASCAR Cup Series wins for Kyle Larson.
• Back-to-back championships for Team Penske.
• NASCAR introduces seventh-generation car (2022).
• Carson Hocevar begins a full-time NASCAR career (2021).
• Keselowski becomes co-owner of RFK Racing.
• Four second-place finishes for Keselowski.
• 18 top-five finishes for Keselowski.
• RFK Racing wins four NASCAR Cup Series events with Chris Buescher.
• 28 different primary sponsors for Keselowski between the No. 2 and 6.

Things are on the up-and-up for Keselowski, whose RFK Racing team has been showing speed consistently, so you have to believe that it's only a matter of time before the 35-time NASCAR Cup Series winner returns to his winning ways.

Photo Credit: Nigel Kinrade, NKP, Courtesy of Ford Performance

SHOULD THE FORD CAMP BE WORRIED?

The date is April 24th, 2024, and through the opening 26 NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events of the season, Ford Performance is winless.

It's the furthest into a season that Ford Performance has trekked without a NASCAR victory since 2010 when Carl Edwards claimed the first win for the automaker in an Xfinity Series event at Road America in mid-June.

If there's any good news for Ford, it's that they aren't that far off, having backed the second-place finisher in half of the NASCAR Cup Series events this year, and 10 times across NASCAR's top-three divisions.

The manufacturer's strength this season has been the superspeedways, and the absence of a trophy from Sunday's GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway means teams will need to wait until Daytona in August for another shot.

In three superspeedway races (Daytona, Atlanta, Talladega) this season, 12 drivers have combined to lead 378 laps in the NASCAR Cup Series, the best of which is Joey Logano at 94 laps led.

Across the other seven events - on various types of racetracks - the manufacturer has combined to lead 255 laps between 10 different drivers, with Logano once again leading the way with 105 laps led.

As things stand, with 16 races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, only four drivers from the Ford stable (Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, and Brad Keselowski) would qualify for the post-season, with Blaney being the highest in regular-season points, sitting seventh.

Should Ford Performance be concerned? Maybe, but teams still have time to figure out the new Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Plus, face it, the manufacturer's struggles were a storyline early in 2023, but Ryan Blaney still ended up hoisting the championship trophy in Phoenix.

Photo Credit: James Gilbert, Getty Images