Reddick’s Phoenix Win Tightens NASCAR’s Championship Race

Tyler Reddick won Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway after taking the lead late, ending a long winless stretch and adding pressure to a championship race that became considerably closer.

Reddick passed Chase Briscoe after a restart near the end of the 312-lap event and finished 0.801 seconds ahead of Ryan Blaney. NASCAR’s official account identified it as Reddick’s sixth win of the season and confirmed the result after post-race inspection found no issues.

The victory also changed the context around Kyle Larson’s position at the top of the standings. Larson finished 34th after a difficult race, and NASCAR’s analysis reported that his lead over Christopher Bell had narrowed to five points.

Those two outcomes shaped the day together. Reddick converted his late opportunity into a win, while Larson lost much of the cushion he had brought to Phoenix. The result made the remaining races more consequential for a larger group of contenders.

Briscoe’s challenge for another victory ended with an eighth-place finish. Reddick’s late move meant the race was decided by a change at the front rather than the leader simply maintaining control to the checkered flag.

Joey Logano won both opening stages and finished sixth. His stage points and final result left him 44 points behind Larson, keeping another Team Penske driver in the championship contest.

This is catch-up coverage of the October 18 race, not a result from Monday’s sports schedule. The verified takeaway is the combination of Reddick’s return to victory and a smaller championship margin. Any forecast of the eventual title winner would go beyond what Phoenix settled.