Lightning fast work by the Cooper Standard pit crew was the catalyst for Tyler Reddick’s fourth-place finish in the Striping Technology 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway. Reddick made three pit stops during the 147-lap race and gained a position with every visit to pit lane.
Reddick racked up his seventh top-five effort of the season and fifth in the last seven races. He claimed his fourth top five in six races at Texas and equaled his best-ever finish at the 1.5-mile speedway, pushing his average finish to 8.33. The No. 29 Cooper Standard Ford F-150 driven by Reddick at Texas, named J.J. after Good Times TV show character Jimmie “J.J.” Walker, once again performed well. The chassis has top-five finishes in three starts, including a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Oct. 1. Reddick moved up to ninth place in the series championship standings, one point ahead of Cole Custer.
Reddick started fifth but developed a loose-handing condition during the first run of the race. He was eighth at the time of the first caution on lap 40 and pitted one lap later for four tires and a major chassis adjustment, restarting seventh on lap 44.
Reddick got stuck in traffic on the restart, slipping back to the 10th position by lap 46, but soon rallied. He was up to seventh by lap 61 and stayed there until the Caution Clock expired on lap 83.
Another round of pit stops followed on lap 84, and speedy service by the Cooper Standard team on pit lane moved Reddick up to the sixth position for the restart on lap 87. For the majority of the following run, Reddick searched for a groove that worked best, a process complicated by the fact his truck was loose off at the bottom of Turns 2 and 4, but tight off the high side of both corners. He grabbed fifth place on lap 123, just before the third and final yellow flag on lap 126.
One lap later, Reddick stopped for service and once again he gained positions on the exchange of pit stops, moving up to fourth place for the restart on lap 130 and the 17-lap dash to the checkered flag. The top four pulled away from the pack moments after the green flag waved. Unfortunately, Reddick wasn’t able to challenge for position during the closing miles and collected a fourth-place finish.
BKR PR
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