Reddick Wins Talladega as ‘Big One’ unfolds during final lap chaos, Larson holds P1 in GFT Rankings

21 April 2024
By Bob Francis, Managing Editor
Go Full Throttle Racing News

TALLADEGA, AL — Tyler Reddick, driver of the 23IX Racing Toyota, emerged from final lap chaos to win the Sunday’s GEICO 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. This marked Reddick’s first win at a superspeedway, and it secured his spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The race was notable for Ford’s struggles, as they missed out on victory despite dominating the stages. In a dramatic finish, pole-sitter Michael McDowell seemed poised to end Ford’s drought, but a late-race incident involving Brad Keselowski dashed those hopes. Ford’s performance left them with more questions than answers, and still winless in NASCAR’s top series after ten races. Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 6 wins in regular season (points paying) races.

Tyler Reddick comes from P3 to the win at Talladega after Michael McDowell’s (№34 Ford) late block sets off “The Big One” on the final 400 yards of the GEICO 500 Sunday. (Image Credit: FOX Sports)

Go Full Throttle AI Driver Rankings — Updated after Talladega

Go Full Throttle NASCAR AI Driver Rankings following the GEICO 500 on April 21, 2024 at Talladega Superspeedway (Image Credit: GFT Digital)

Kyle Larson again holds on to P1 in the rankings after a day that saw him battle back from cascading setbacks. First, a penalty after inspection that prevented the №5 car from qualifying. The penalty from NASCAR also stipulated Larson had to serve a pass-through penalty at the start of the race. But as Kyle Larson is known to do, he and his Hendrick Motorsports team overcame all that and by Stage 3 had fought all the way back onto the lead lap. Larson was in the top 10 as the field took the white flag but was caught up in the final lap crash and ultimately finished in 21st place.

The Big Movers:
With a 4th place finish, Ricky Stenhouse Jr moves back into the GFT Top 25 NASCAR Cup rankings. Also note Todd “Stretch” Gilliland up two spots with his 8th place finish. Austin Cindric benefits from collecting stage points early in the race by starting up front, and some statistical anomalies of other driver's poor finishes (Suarez and Buescher).

A Huge Win for 23IX Racing

Tyler Reddick, driver of the #45 Jordan Brand Toyota, celebrates with crew and family in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 21, 2024 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing reacts after Tyler Reddick, driver of the #45 Jordan Brand Toyota, wins the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 21, 2024 in Talladega, Alabama. (Image Credit: 23IX Racing)

GFT NASCAR Cup Series Box Scores

Go Full Throttle NASCAR Cup Series Box Scores following the GEICO 500 on April 21, 2024 at Talladega Superspeedway (Image Credit: GFT Digital)

The GFT NASCAR Cup Series Box Scores remain all Hendrick Motorsports again this week as William Byron holds on as WIN leader with 3, Chevrolet leads the manufacturers with 6 wins, and Hendrick leads the team category with 5 wins.

GFT NASCAR Fantasy LIVE Box Scores

Go Full Throttle NASCAR Fantasy LIVE Box Scores following the GEICO 500 on April 21, 2024 at Talladega Superspeedway (Image Credit: GFT Digital)

The GFT AI Prediction model was set to deliver over 220 points with Brad Keselowski looking strong as the field exited turn 4 on the final lap. But a late block from leader Michael McDowell resulted in the “Big One.” Keselowski finished P2, but Busch, Buesher, and Logano were caught up in the crash and finished 27th, 25th, 19th respectively. 119 points is the worst performance of the GFT AI Race Prediction models so far in 2024, dropping 39 places to 519th in the #TMDNASCAR league. Outside the Top 10 percentage of all players for the 2nd week.

UP NEXT:

The NASCAR Cup Series moves to Dover Motor Speedway for Sunday’s the Wurth 400. GFT will have a full statistical breakdown, insider news from the garage, and initial (pre Practice and Qualifying) AI race predictions.