Â鶹´«Ã½

Sports

    • Reddick survives late restarts to earn NASCAR victory COTA

    Tyler Reddick, centre, celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Circuit of the Americas, Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman) Tyler Reddick, centre, celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Circuit of the Americas, Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman)
    Share
    AUSTIN, Texas -

    Tyler Reddick had the lead and the fastest car on the track when calamity nearly struck.

    Caution. Restart. Caution. Restart. Caution. Restart.

    Enough slowdowns to make a driver lose his mind.

    Or at least his cool.

    Reddick handled it nearly to perfection Sunday, earning his first victory with new team 23XI Racing by holding on over multiple late restarts to win in triple overtime Sunday at Circuit of the Americas, the first road course race on this year's NASCAR schedule.

    "Didn't quite get the restarts perfectly, but we got the one that mattered," Reddick said. "The last one."

    Reddick's victory was the first of the year for Toyota and his first since joining the team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan. It was Reddick's fourth career Cup Series win, third on a road course. Reddick won a year ago at Road America and on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in his final season with Richard Childress Racing.

    This one might have been the most nerve wracking.

    Reddick had to hold the front through the elevated, switchback left hand turn that saw the field bunch up and smash each other time after time on the restarts. The race had eight cautions for 17 laps and went to three overtimes and seven laps past the scheduled distance.

    Hamlin said Reddick showed poise to match talent that could lead to a whole lot of victories. He got Reddick to agree to sign with 23XI with a full year remaining on his RCR contract, and then was able to secure Reddick early for 2023 when Kurt Busch was forced to retire because of a concussion.

    "I knew he was going to be the most coveted free agent in a very, very, very long time. That's why I got the jump on it and it cost me a lot of money to do it," Hamlin said. "You have to have that driver you feel can carry you to championships ... I feel like we have that guy."

    Kyle Busch, who pushed Reddick through the final three restarts, finished second in the Chevrolet for RCR that became available to the two-time Cup champion when Reddick jumped to 23XI.

    "When we tested here, they were lights out," Busch said of 23XI. "Tyler obviously is a really good road racer. He proved it driving this car here last year. I've been trying to emulate the things he did in order to make this car fast last year, but not quite all the way there."

    Alex Bowman, who had a chance to win on the final lap at COTA last season, was third in a Chevrolet from Hendrick Motorsports.

    Ross Chastain, the defending race winner, finished fourth and was confronted post-race inside his car by Trackhouse Racing teammate Daniel Suarez over the aggressive nature of the race. Suarez also exchanged words with Bowman. NASCAR may take action against Suarez for using his car to bump both Bowman and Chastain on pit road.

    "He just thought I drove in and tried to drive through him," Bowman said. "Daniel and I, we've been teammates in the past, raced together a long time. I respect the hell out of him. I'm sure he's still not super happy. Just tried to explain that I wouldn't race him like that, that I was shoved in there."

    William Byron finished fifth for Hendrick and Austin Cindric was the highest-finishing Ford driver in sixth for Team Penske.

    There were no stage breaks for the first time this season under a rule change introduced for the six road course races in 2023. That left teams to manage different pit stop strategies.

    Reddick appeared to have managed the perfect strategy before the rash of late collisions, caution flags and restarts left him with a harder path to win.

    The race included former Formula One champions Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button. Raikkonen drove Trackhouse Racing's Project91 entry that is designed to give a seat in NASCAR to drivers from others disciplines. He finished 27th. Button drove the No. 15 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing as part of a three-race deal for road courses this season. He was 18th.

    Raikkonen was running as high as fourth on a late late restart but was quickly shuffled into the pack.

    Another "road course ringer" on the track Sunday was sports car driver four-time IMSA champion Jordan Taylor driving for injured Chase Elliott, who is still recovering from a fractured leg in a snowboarding accident and participated in the Fox Sports broadcast booth remotely from Colorado.

    Taylor finished 24th.

    CROSSOVER APPEAL

    Trackhouse team owner Justin Marks expects Project91 to run several times this season. Project91 ran only Watkins Glen with Raikkonen last season.

    "It's resonating with people so we've got some great sponsors on the car this weekend," Marks said. "We're going to definitely race this car multiple times this year. We're not ready to make any of those announcements yet, but people are taking notice."

    COTA'S NASCAR FUTURE

    After three years racing at the track built for Formula One, signs point to a possible return for the stock cars in 2024.

    Speedway Motorsports, which runs the event and rents the track for a week, has an option to return next season, and ticket holders are being allowed a chance to reserve spots for Austin.

    "Of course I want to see NASCAR return," track President Bobby Epstein said. "The fans want them at COTA, the drivers tell us they love the track and the city ... And it pairs the leading U.S. race series with America's premier road course."

    ODDS AND ENDS

    Race officials strictly enforced track limits on the circuit's esss curves. Joey Logano was the first of several drivers to get hit with a drive-thru penalty. Ty Gibbs had to do it twice ... Ty Dillon and seven-time former Cup series champion Jimmie Johnson were knocked out halfway through the first lap when Brad Keselowski spun to trigger the first caution before the field had cleared the first turn.

    UP NEXT

    The series moves to short track racing next Sunday at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. Denny Hamlin is the defending race winner.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs – including hot meals for vulnerable kids – won't spend any time in jail.

    Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.

    Dr. Ronald Weiss, who performed nearly 60,000 vasectomies on Ottawa men, establishing him as the "Wayne Gretzky" of the procedure, has died.

    A 36-year-old Montreal man who was out on bail after allegedly uttering death threats against his partner is now accused of murdering her on the South Shore.

    A 15-year-old boy from Kitchener, Ont. is facing a long list of criminal charges as the Waterloo Regional Police Service wraps up a lengthy swatting investigation.

    Canada

    • A 36-year-old Montreal man who was out on bail after allegedly uttering death threats against his partner is now accused of murdering her on the South Shore.

    • Family members and friends of a 43-year-old man who was fatally shot by police in Hamilton over the weekend says they’re devastated by his death and are seeking answers and justice for their loved one.

    • Dr. Ronald Weiss, who performed nearly 60,000 vasectomies on Ottawa men, establishing him as the "Wayne Gretzky" of the procedure, has died.

    • A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs – including hot meals for vulnerable kids – won't spend any time in jail.

    • A 15-year-old boy from Kitchener, Ont. is facing a long list of criminal charges as the Waterloo Regional Police Service wraps up a lengthy swatting investigation.

    • A team of tornado experts are investigating a path of damage through Wellington County.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    • The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed forward Max Pacioretty on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury, the team announced Monday.

    • Canada will be without captain Alphonso Davies for its upcoming CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    For the second year in a row, the ‘Gift-a-Family’ campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

    Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

    A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

    As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

    A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts – not for themselves, but for those in need.

    A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

    Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

    A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.

    • Flames shot out of windows and debris came showering down onto the street as crews battled a fire at a North Vancouver highrise Monday afternoon.

    • Second World War veteran Percival Smith was a teenager when he entered the British Merchant Navy, but after years at sea he emerged as a man who returned to a family he "couldn't even recognize" after the war.

    • Police nabbed an alarming number of drunk or drug-impaired drivers in Abbotsford, B.C., over the long weekend – including 11 on Friday night alone.

    • Family members and friends of a 43-year-old man who was fatally shot by police in Hamilton over the weekend says they’re devastated by his death and are seeking answers and justice for their loved one.

    • A pedestrian has critical injuries after being struck by the driver of a wheelchair-accessible bus in Toronto’s northwest area late Monday afternoon.

    • Police are searching for two suspects who are wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a man in North York in late September.

    • EXTENDED VIDEO

      EXTENDED VIDEO

      Calgarians observed Remembrance Day at a number of different ceremonies across the city on Monday, including at the Hangar Flight Museum.

    • It's the show of the year or maybe even the decade for Taylor Swift fans, better known as Swifties.

    • Captain Mikael Backlund had a goal and assist to lead the Calgary Flames to a gritty 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday.

    • Dr. Ronald Weiss, who performed nearly 60,000 vasectomies on Ottawa men, establishing him as the "Wayne Gretzky" of the procedure, has died.

    • Crowds gathered in Ottawa and eastern Ontario on Monday to honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of Canada.

    • The company confirms it will open the new Chipotle at 5671 Hazeldean Road on Thursday, in the former location of Benny & Co.

    • A 36-year-old Montreal man who was out on bail after allegedly uttering death threats against his partner is now accused of murdering her on the South Shore.

    • Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Montreal on Monday to mark Remembrance Day and honour Canadians who sacrificed their lives in the great wars and beyond.

    • Seventy seniors will be losing their homes come July as Manoir Louisiane, a private seniors’ residence in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough will be closing down.

    • Edmonton's Beverly Memorial Cenotaph on Monday hosted its 104th Remembrance Day service to honour past and present veterans.

    • A poster campaign is creating awareness commemorating Edmonton-area soldiers who never came home.

    • Thousands of Maritimers turned out in wet weather Monday to remember those who have served, and continue to serve, in Canada's armed forces for Remembrance Day.

    • A Cape Breton senior recalls her life in German-occupied France, and her mother’s death, during the Second World War.

    • Thousand of people gathered at the Menin Gate in the Ypres, Belgium for Monday’s Remembrance Day Ceremony.

    • Four teenagers have been arrested in connection with the attack and robbery of a 62-year-old woman.

    • A sacred fire burning in Winnipeg has brought healing and hope to some members of Xavia Skye Lynn Butler’s family.

    • A Manitoba-shot Christmas movie was on the nice list at the box office last weekend.

    • November 11th marks a solemn day across Canada, and Regina is no exception.

    • Fire crews reported that no one was hurt after flames broke out in a home on Robinson Street in central Regina.

    • Regina author Valerie Crowther is celebrating the release of her book ‘War Letters: Linking Lives in the Second World War.’

    • A team of tornado experts are investigating a path of damage through Wellington County.

    • A 15-year-old boy from Kitchener, Ont. is facing a long list of criminal charges as the Waterloo Regional Police Service wraps up a lengthy swatting investigation.

    • Family members and friends of a 43-year-old man who was fatally shot by police in Hamilton over the weekend says they’re devastated by his death and are seeking answers and justice for their loved one.

    • Saskatoon Public Library workers will be on strike Tuesday as part of ongoing contract negotiations with SPL.

    • Saskatchewan RCMP are searching for a suspect after a man was seriously injured in a farm-related incident in Montreal Lake.

    • It was a somber day at Mosaic Stadium as members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders officially cleaned out their stalls and closed the book on the 2024 season.

    • Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.

    • Remembrance Day has special meaning for Colleen Ludgate and Paul Cousineau of Timmins, whose daughter, Brittney Shki-Giizis, has taken a temporary sabbatical from the Canadian military to help Ukraine.

    • Remembrance Day celebrations took place across the country Monday, with Canadians reflecting on the sacrifices made by the men and women who served our country.

    • WATCH

      WATCH

      Men and women from Canadian Services, along with those who serve on local police forces marched up Dufferin Ave. toward the cenotaph on Monday morning.

    • Failing to comply with a property standards order issued by city hall could add almost $100,000 to the tax bill of a prominent eyesore in east London.

    • Oxford OPP say that they are investigating a collision that resulted in serious injuries on Sunday evening.

    • A Barrie man is accused of being at the centre of an alleged $2.2 million stolen used car scheme.

    • Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall is acting unilaterally for one of the only times of his tenure thus far to help ensure a renovation project of a youth shelter gets completed.

    • Police say a 51-year-old from Stouffville died after a collision in East Gwillimbury Monday afternoon.

    • A local high school honoured veterans of the “Forgotten War†on Monday.

    • video

      video

      Upwards of 1000 handmade poppies are on display outside Lifetimes on Riverside Retirement home on Riverside Drive East, part of its fourth annual Poppy Project.

    • A pair of thieves ripped the door of an east Windsor sports apparel store on Monday morning, leaving the store owner on the hook for thousands in stolen merchandise.

    • A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs – including hot meals for vulnerable kids – won't spend any time in jail.

    • A B.C. teen has a suspected case of H5N1 avian flu — the first known human to acquire the virus in Canada.

    • Second World War veteran Percival Smith was a teenager when he entered the British Merchant Navy, but after years at sea he emerged as a man who returned to a family he "couldn't even recognize" after the war.

    • A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs – including hot meals for vulnerable kids – won't spend any time in jail.

    • The emergency department at South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver, B.C., will be closed for 31 hours this weekend, the second such closure in a week and the third since the start of November.

    • Police in Kamloops, B.C., are reminding parents and guardians to check their children's Halloween candy after receiving a report of a mother finding a razor blade in one of her daughter's treats.

    • If you were at the cenotaph Remembrance Day ceremonies in Lethbridge, you may have caught a glimpse of our Dory Rossiter there on crutches.

    • Canadians across the country spent Monday paying tribute to the soldiers who have fought and died while serving Canada.

    • The Southern Alberta Recreation Association is officially announcing the Town of Taber as next year’s host for the Southern Alberta Summer Games.

    • Remembrance Day celebrations took place across the country Monday, with Canadians reflecting on the sacrifices made by the men and women who served our country.

    • Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.

    • It was just days before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down when the Shaft Bottom Boys of Sudbury broke a world record for 'Deepest Concert Underground.' Now, more than four years later, a Timmins band is looking to take the title.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at Â鶹´«Ã½. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow Â鶹´«Ã½