By RaceScene Publisher on Saturday, 21 May 2022
Category: The Checkered Flag

Tyler Reddick takes maiden win for Big Machine Racing

Scott Borchetta can finally call his Big Machine Racing Team a NASCAR Xfinity Series race-winning organisation, even if the help of a Cup Series regular was needed. Tyler Reddick, in his second start for the team, took the lead after the final caution in a wreck-filled affair to win at Texas Motor Speedway.

Ten cautions for crashes took place, knocking out multiple drivers like pole winner Noah Gragson, Sheldon Creed, Jesse Iwuji, Ryan Sieg, and J.J. Yeley. Iwuji missed qualifying on Friday as he was at an exercise with the United States Navy, leaving Kyle Weatherman to qualify his car, while Yeley had impressed by starting fourteenth in MBM Motorsports‘ best qualifying effort ever. The latter was caught in a particularly large crash on lap 137 that claimed six other drivers on the frontstretch, which turned out to be the final yellow flag of the day.

Reddick, who was in first prior to the crash, continued to lead on the ensuing restart while fellow Cup full-timer William Byron gave chase. However, Byron and JR Motorsports team-mates Sam Mayer and Justin Allgaier could not catch Reddick. The two-time series champion has now hit double-digit race wins, becoming the forty-fourth driver to do so and the second such story in 2022. Cole Custer, a fellow Cup driver, accomplished the same at Fontana in February; coincidentally, Custer’s win was the first for his owner Bobby Dotter (SS-Green Light Racing).

Big Machine Racing, currently in its second season of operation, had struggled to begin 2022. Despite a solid rookie season in 2021, Jade Buford struggled with a single top-twenty finish (eighth at COTA, which is to be expected out of someone with road racing experience) before Kaz Grala and Reddick replaced him; Reddick drives for Big Machine ally Richard Childress Racing at the Cup level. Although Reddick being a Cup driver means his win would not lock the #48 team into the owner’s championship playoffs, it obviously provides the spark that it had been sorely needing.

Race results

FinishStartNumberDriverTeamManufacturerLapsStatus
1248Tyler Reddick*Big Machine Racing TeamChevrolet167Running
21588William Byron*JR MotorsportsChevrolet167Running
391Sam MayerJR MotorsportsChevrolet167Running
467Justin AllgaierJR MotorsportsChevrolet167Running
5321Austin HillRichard Childress RacingChevrolet167Running
6518Ryan TruexJoe Gibbs RacingToyota167Running
788Josh BerryJR MotorsportsChevrolet167Running
81098Riley HerbstStewart-Haas RacingFord167Running
91316A.J. AllmendingerKaulig RacingChevrolet167Running
103810Landon CassillKaulig RacingChevrolet167Running
111111Daniel HemricKaulig RacingChevrolet167Running
12754Ty GibbsJoe Gibbs RacingToyota167Running
132027Jeb BurtonOur MotorsportsChevrolet167Running
14419Brandon JonesJoe Gibbs RacingToyota167Running
152368Brandon BrownBrandonbilt MotorsportsChevrolet167Running
161951Jeremy ClementsJeremy Clements RacingChevrolet167Running
171845Stefan ParsonsAlpha Prime RacingChevrolet167Running
182591Mason MasseyDGM RacingChevrolet167Running
193526Jeffrey EarnhardtSam Hunt RacingToyota167Running
202478Josh WilliamsB.J. McLeod MotorsportsChevrolet167Running
21298David StarrSS-Green Light RacingFord167Running
222631Myatt SniderJordan Anderson RacingChevrolet167Running
232707Joe Graf Jr.SS-Green Light RacingFord167Running
24224Bayley CurreyJD MotorsportsChevrolet167Running
253638C.J. McLaughlinRSS RacingFord166Running
26212Sheldon CreedRichard Childress RacingChevrolet166Running
273313Timmy Hill*MBM MotorsportsToyota166Running
283035Patrick EmerlingEmerling-Gase MotorsportsChevrolet164Running
291602Brett MoffittOur MotorsportsChevrolet148Track Bar
302844Ryan EllisAlpha Prime RacingChevrolet146Accident
311466J.J. YeleyMBM MotorsportsFord137Accident
323723Anthony AlfredoOur MotorsportsChevrolet137Accident
333236Alex LabbéDGM RacingChevrolet137Accident
341734Jesse IwujiJesse Iwuji MotorsportsChevrolet137Accident
351239Ryan SiegRSS RacingFord129Accident
3619Noah GragsonJR MotorsportsChevrolet95Accident
37345Matt MillsB.J. McLeod MotorsportsChevrolet87Accident
38316Ryan VargasJD MotorsportsChevrolet21Engine
Italics – Competing for Rookie of the Year
* – Ineligible for points
Original link