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Chase Briscoe explains why he pushed Tyler Reddick to win, didn't make move on final lap

Stephen Samraby: Steve Samra02/23/26SamraSource

Tyler Reddick’s battered No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota crossed the finish line first Sunday at EchoPark Speedway. Chase Briscoe came home as the runner-up, but fans want to understand why he didn’t try to take it for himself.

As the dust settled on Reddick completing a dramatic overtime victory in the Autotrader 400, Briscoe addressed the final-lap decision on social media. The Joe Gibbs Racing wheelman explained why he chose to push rather than pull out and attempt a three-wide move for the win on Sunday.

“My run I had I knew wasn’t big enough to clear them both so I woulda been stuck 3 wide on the bottom and the 1 woulda pushed the 77 to the win and I probably run 4th or 5th,” Briscoe posted.

The split-second judgment came as Reddick, driving without a right front fender after a Lap 224 wreck, clung to the lead. Despite the damage, Reddick had clawed his way back into contention, benefitting from lane stacking and a critical opening when teammate Bubba Wallace moved up top to block Carson Hocevar on the final overtime restart.

That shuffle created the lane Reddick needed. He surged forward, then held off Briscoe and Ross Chastain in the closing yards to secure his second straight win to open the 2026 Cup Series season. 

According to Joseph Srigley of TobyChristie.com, Reddick joined Matt Kenseth (2009), Jeff Gordon (1997), David Pearson (1976), Bob Welborn (1959), and Marvin Panch (1957) as the only drivers to win the first two races of a season.

More on Chase Briscoe, NASCAR Cup Series in Atlanta

Alas, Briscoe’s explanation highlights the calculated risk of superspeedway-style racing at Atlanta’s reconfigured surface. A move that doesn’t fully clear the leaders can leave a driver stranded, vulnerable to being freight-trained by momentum behind.

Instead of gambling on a marginal run, Briscoe opted to stay connected and secure a strong finish rather than risk fading outside the top five.

For Reddick, the decision proved pivotal. After going winless in 2025, the breaks have fallen perfectly to start 2026. He led a race-high 53 laps from the pole Sunday and now sits atop the points standings heading into Circuit of The Americas.

In a race decided by inches and instinct, Briscoe’s restraint may have been just as influential as Reddick’s aggression. The wins are coming for the No. 19 Toyota team, but he had to settle for second in Atlanta.