Tyler Reddick

Photo by: Sean Gardner

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series visited Kansas Speedway on Saturday, May 11th ahead of Mother’s Day.

Five different organizations are featured in this week’s Top 5, including a rookie and a former MENCS champion.

No. 1 Tyler Reddick – Tyler Reddick earned the first top 10 of his Cup career on Saturday, finishing in the ninth position.

Reddick, who is the defending Xfinity Series champion, failed to earn stage points on Saturday, but ran as high as third and held an average position of 16th.

No. 2 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. barely missed scoring a top-10 finish during the Digital Ally 400, finishing 11th.

The Roush Fenway driver earned stage points during Stage 1 (third) and Stage 2 (fifth).

Stenhouse is tied with Paul Menard for 20th in the standings, 211 points behind leader Joey Logano and 37 points away from 15th.

No. 3 Jimmie Johnson – Jimmie Johnson earned his fifth top-10 finish of the season at Kansas, finishing sixth.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver failed to earn stage points, but ran as high as fourth throughout 400.5 miles.

Johnson sits 16th in the standings, 186 points behind Logano and 48 points behind 10th place, held by Ryan Blaney.

No. 4 Chris Buescher – Chris Buescher earned his second top-10 finish of 2019 on Saturday, finishing 10th.

Buescher earned stage points in Stage 1 and Stage 2 with sixth place finishes, respectively.

Buescher is 23rd in the standings, 253 points behind Logano and 42 away from 20th.

No. 5 Daniel Suarez – Daniel Suarez finished 14th on Saturday, gaining 14 positions from his finish one year ago.

Suarez failed to earn stage points at the 1.5-mile track, but ran as high as second and was seventh by the middle of the race.

The Stewart-Haas Racing driver is 13th in the standings, 163 points behind Logano and 25 points behind Blaney.

Photo by: Jonathan Ferrey

When the Camping World Truck Series roll onto the track at Eldora Speedway on Tuesday to prepare for the Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby, the driver of the Brad Keselowski Racing No. 29 Cooper Standard F-150 will practically be at home.

Before making his way to the NASCAR scene, Reddick raced in the Dirt Late Model Series, breaking records as he went. The, then 15-year-old, became the youngest winner of a feature event in the series. He also holds the record for youngest driver to make the World 100 at Eldora Speedway.

So why are these two facts so important? It’s because Tyler Reddick’s average at Eldora is 7.0, given that is only from two races, but the young talent knows his way around the infamous dirt track owned by NASCAR veteran, Tony Stewart.

Every week Reddick applies his knowledge from his dirt days and puts them to the test. His truck is often described by announcers as “too loose”, but more often than not it is just the right fit for Reddick.

And when it’s not?

He makes wicked saves that are often only seen by drivers who have years and years of experience under their belts. Earlier this year at Charlotte Motor Speedway when Reddick’s truck became looser as the laps continued to advance, Reddick overcame his obstacles for a fourth-place finish.

A win at Eldora would not only qualify Reddick to run for the series championship, the chase-style format implemented for the 2016 season to bring more exciting racing and prepare the young stars for the Sprint Cup Series, but it would be a highlight victory for the California native’s resume. One that already includes a Daytona victory and a 2nd place finish in the 2015 title run.

Chasing The Score Board

In The Fast Lane: Most Improved after Kansas

Eldora is familiar territory for Tyler Reddick