Tyler Reddick does it again; Chase Elliott has competition for NASCAR's top "road warrior"

With apologies to Chase Elliott (and yes, Roger Miller), we may have a new King of the Road.

First, let’s back up to the start of the year.

Back in February, when talk turned to which young driver(s) may break out of the pack in the coming season, Tyler Reddick seemed to be the trendy pick among his fellow racers. So for him to have now bankrolled two wins . . . no big shock, right?

Nope, but nobody — I have no time machine, so trust me on this — could’ve seen Reddick getting there by taking a right, then a left, and a right, another right, a left, etc . . . While he'd been rather respectable on road courses, he's a born-and-bred oval-tracker.

Or so we thought.

Sunday at Indianapolis, Reddick won his second straight road-course race, fresh off his win a month earlier at Road America. It was fairly dominant, too, considering he’d also won the pole and by far led the most laps (38 of 86).

It was also dramatic, thanks to a Ross Chastain detour. And a wee bit awkward, given how Reddick and his team owner aren’t speaking much these days.

Let’s push ’er off the grid and round it all up as we get up to speed . . .

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First Gear

Early during the Indy weekend, track owner Roger Penske confirmed that next year’s Cup Series race will remain on the Brickyard’s road course. Given the late-race dramatics in last year’s debut, and then Sunday’s second edition, go ahead and sign us up for another year and then some.

Watching Reddick battle with Chastain after the final restart was a blast in real time. In retrospect, if you’re a Reddick fan, it’s unnerving — Chastain was going to soon be penalized (more on that in a few), so Reddick didn’t need to be battling him quite so hard and risking it all.

Austin Cindric had the third car in line, waiting to pick up the pieces . . . and the trophy.

But Reddick got past Chastain on that next-to-last lap and stayed there to not only earn his second career Cup race, but his second in July!

Afterward, Reddick confirmed what us onlookers suspected.

“It was really stressful,” he said of the swashbuckling with Chastain.

“I didn’t know if I needed to race him or not. (Cindric) was right there. I had to be careful.”

Didn’t look like he was being careful, but then again, he’s a trained professional.

Second Gear

As the smoke was clearing, NASCAR was issuing a 30-second penalty for Chastain, who must’ve received a GPS alert about heavy traffic and instead opted for a suggested alternate route.

Instead of trying to navigate Turn 1 — a sharp right-hander — as the outside car in a four-wide crowd, Ross the Boss called an audible and kept it pointed straight. He kept streaking toward the oval’s Turn 4 but quickly hooked a right on an access road, then a left, and blended right back into the front of the field with Reddick.

It was, frankly, a thing of beauty. It was the Bandit finding an unmarked road to lose Sheriff Buford T. Justice, then sliding back out onto the highway in front of the Snowman — “What we’re dealing with here is a complete lack of respect for the law!”

That’s right, Chastain’s move flaunted NASCAR’s rules of the road, and would’ve warranted a stop-and-go penalty if there’d been more laps remaining. Instead, per that thick rulebook, he had 30 seconds tacked onto his finishing time and was given 27th position.

“I didn't do it maliciously. I didn't do it preemptively,” Chastain said of his cool yet illegal move. “With three cars to my right and everybody running into each other, I couldn't see how we would make it . . .”

Oh, you could’ve made it, Ross. You just would’ve had to slow down and lose positions. Either way, you weren’t gonna win. Sure spiced up the highlight reel, though. Good job!

Third Gear

Back to the awkward.

Nine days after Reddick’s first win in early July, he announced he’d be leaving Richard Childress Racing for the 23XI team owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan.

Hey, these things happen in racing. But this seat change won’t happen until 2024, since Reddick’s contract with RCR runs through 2023.

Childress went through something similar nearly a decade ago. Prior to the 2013 season, Kevin Harvick announced he’d run one final season at RCR before moving to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014. But this go-round, Reddick and Childress are practically running a season and a half with divorce lawyers riding shotgun.

It was one thing to know you’d eventually be losing an up-and-comer. Quite another when, as it appears now, you’re suddenly co-existing with a potential championship contender.

Fourth Gear

Let’s stick with the roster of racers before taking it behind the wall.

Erik Jones announced a multi-year extension with Petty GMS Racing and will remain in the No. 43 Chevy. There’s been a definite uptick in performance this year, so maybe this is the combination that’ll get that 43 car back among the lead pack. Yep, it’s been a while.

Kurt Busch remained sidelined with concussion symptoms for a second straight week. He remains playoff-eligible, but first things first when we’re dealing with the noggin.

Brother Kyle Busch is now wondering aloud what the future holds, as Joe Gibbs Racing continues beating the corporate bushes in search of a financial partnership worthy of the effort.

Meanwhile, realizing racer contracts have come down from previous highs, Kyle said he’s accepting of the fact and willing to sign a contract “under my market value.”

Not to be picky, Kyle, but whatever you (or anyone, for that matter) are able to get from the market is quite literally your current market value.

Next up: Michigan, as we begin the final month of the regular season — "Keep your foot hard on that pedal; Son, never mind them brakes . . ."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: At Indy, Reddick wins again, Chastain detours, and it's getting awkward