Tyler Reddick’s winning overtake on Sunday was the kind of bold move that defines championship races.

Reddick surged past leader Ryan Blaney as they approached the last turn during an intense seven-lap shootout, securing victory in the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida. This win earned him a place in the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series championship race in two weeks.

After a caution for Kyle Larson’s spin occurred just four laps after Reddick made his pit stop, the final restart put Reddick, who had slightly older tires, alongside Blaney at the front.

Initially, Reddick fell behind but made a remarkable move against Denny Hamlin on the last lap, taking down Blaney on the 1.5-mile track to finish first by 0.241 seconds. The 23XI Racing competitor led for an impressive 97 laps.

“We were in a tough spot and had no choice but to push through,” Reddick remarked, reflecting on the older tires and the lucky caution that helped him with 12 laps remaining. “I realized it could be detrimental with the tire disadvantage at Homestead, but I didn’t let that stop me.”

“We did everything necessary to secure this victory and continue our championship pursuit. I knew I needed to get alongside him, and he raced me fair,” he added.

Reddick’s team is co-owned by Denny Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan. He joins last week’s race winner Joey Logano, who triumphed in Las Vegas, as a contender for the Championship 4. The last two spots will be determined in next week’s elimination race at Martinsville Speedway.

All eight drivers still in the running for the championship displayed competitive cars, with five of them leading laps in the 400-mile, 267-lap race. The top six finishers were all playoff participants. Blaney came in second, followed by Hamlin in third, Christopher Bell fourth, Chase Elliott fifth, and William Byron in sixth, with each leading at least three laps except for Byron.

Blaney, the reigning series champion, admitted his last lap could have gone better.

“I had a solid chance to take the win, but my last lap was not great,” the No. 12 Ford driver lamented. “I thought I made a strong move into Turn 3, but the 45 car had better grip. That last lap just didn’t turn out in our favor.”

Elliott, who was last in points at 53 points under the cut line, gained ground with a strong pit stop halfway through the 80-lap Stage 1, putting his No. 9 Chevrolet ahead as the field cycled through the pits.

Meanwhile, fellow Hendrick Motorsports driver Larson faced his own troubles with a flat tire on Lap 47, which led to his second yellow flag after he hit the Turn 2 wall. Although he managed to claw back to the front, his spin late in the third stage eliminated his chances to compete for the win, finishing in 13th.

With 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace trailing by three seconds, Reddick smoothly clinched another stage victory while Elliott and Blaney both pocketed valuable bonus points.

As they reached the 100-lap mark, Elliott, Blaney, and Hamlin — three of the four drivers at the bottom of the Round of 8 standings — took the lead, while Reddick, in fourth, reported issues with his No. 45 Toyota.

In the final 10 laps of Stage 2, Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota caught up to Elliott’s Chevrolet and took over the lead, earning him the 10 bonus points for his first segment win in 12 races. Elliott, Bell, Reddick, and Blaney finished as the next point-earners.

The lead group pitted with just under 50 laps remaining. Blaney briefly ceded the lead to Elliott after coming in a lap later, but the No. 12 Team Penske Ford regained control of the race.

In the meantime, Reddick hoped for a caution while on older tires but ultimately had to pit with 16 laps left while in the lead.

Shortly thereafter, Larson spun out after going three-wide, bringing out the sixth caution with just 12 laps remaining.