The Bakersfield Californian

Reddick wins 2nd consecutiv­e Xfinity Series championsh­ip

- BY JENNA FRYER The Associated Press

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Tyler Reddick won his second consecutiv­e Xfinity Series championsh­ip by snatching the lead away from Cole Custer in a spirited season finale Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Reddick and Custer traded the lead three times in a single lap with Reddick finally surging his Richard Childress Racing entry to the front for good with 18 laps remaining.

Reddick is the first to win consecutiv­e Xfinity championsh­ips since Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in 2011 and 2012 and ninth driver with multiple titles.

It’s the only championsh­ip for manufactur­er

Chevrolet, which was shut out in Friday night’s Truck Series finale when Matt Crafton won the title in a Ford. Chevrolet is not represente­d in the Cup championsh­ip race today.

Reddick’s title comes in his final ride as full-time driver of the No. 2 for RCR. He’s being promoted to the Cup Series next season to drive the No. 8 Chevy.

Custer finished second and runner-up to Reddick in the championsh­ip race for the second consecutiv­e year. Stewart-Haas Racing announced Friday that Custer is being promoted to the Cup Series next year. Same for Christophe­r Bell, who finished fifth in the race and third in the championsh­ip picture, who was probably the title favorite but his Toyota dropped off in the final stage of his final ride before he moves to Cup.

Reddick won the title last year driving for JR Motorsport­s, but he had already made the decision to move to Childress for this season. He had to win at Homestead to claim both titles.

 ?? LUIS M. ALVAREZ / AP ?? Tyler Reddick celebrates Saturday in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series championsh­ip at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla.
LUIS M. ALVAREZ / AP Tyler Reddick celebrates Saturday in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series championsh­ip at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla.

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