Tyler Reddick dominates in practice at Indianapolis

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — The return of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval configuration for NASCAR racing became capital-O official in Friday’s extended Cup Series practice. Tyler Reddick made the most of it.

Reddick posted a lap at 182.582 mph in 23XI Racing’s No. 45 Toyota, as the NASCAR Cup Series prepares for the 30th anniversary Brickyard 400 on Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The on-track time marked the first official IMS oval laps for the series’ Next Gen car platform after three years on the combination oval and road-course layout, switching back to the counterclockwise race direction that had been in place here since the early 20th century.

MORE: Practice results | Cup Series standings

Reddick made the adjustment fairly seamlessly, also putting his car atop the speed chart for consecutive 10-lap averages.

“That‘s good! I mean, it seemed pretty solid. When you come to a place like this, that‘s always something you hope for,” said Reddick, a winner earlier in the season at Talladega Superspeedway. “I‘ve been fortunate, we‘ve run the road course here, and we‘ve been really, really strong. Obviously, it seemed like Denny (Hamlin) had a really good test and we were able to get some good data from him. Yeah, tracks like this, it‘s always a question mark to some degree, you know? How close is your sim preparation going to be? But it seemed like everyone did a pretty good job. Yeah, pretty happy with how the car drives.”

Ryan Blaney, last week’s winner at Pocono Raceway, was second-fastest in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford at 181.928 mph. A pair of Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota teammates in Hamlin and (181.561) and Christopher Bell (181.371) were third and fourth in that order, with Alex Bowman’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports entry clocking in 180.930 mph as the fastest Chevrolet.

Bowman was among those marveling at Reddick’s early show of speed, but noting how challenging passing could be Sunday. A similarly speedy performance could be crucial for track position if Reddick is able to back it up in Saturday’s Busch Light Pole Qualifying (1:05 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“I was talking to Tyler on the elevator on the way up here, he’s the fastest thing here by a mile and ran me down like I was tied to a post, then couldn’t do a damn thing,” Bowman said, hinting at a potential premium on passing. “So it’s going to be difficult for sure.”

The 50-minute session went largely incident-free, save for a brief halt for debris and a practice-ending spin by Erik Jones in the No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota. But most drivers were welcoming of the change back to the oval configuration that had been in place from the historic 1994 inaugural through to 2020.

“Very refreshing,” Bell said. “I mean, regardless of how the race turns out, I think it’s very important that we race the oval. … It’s just, it’s Indianapolis. Whenever you think of Indianapolis, you don’t think of a road course. It’s the Brickyard 400, and it’s a marquee event, and it’s a huge event. And no matter how the race turns out, it’s the right thing.”

The switch also provides Martin Truex Jr. with one more shot at winning at the prestigious venue, as he prepares for what is expected to be his final Brickyard race in his farewell Cup Series season.

“It’s huge. I mean, just the history here, with what this track means to motorsports in general across the world. So it’s very, very cool to get to come here,” said Truex, who placed 20th on the opening speed chart. “I wish we were a little bit faster today because qualifying and track position is going to be everything. So tomorrow is a very, very important qualifying day, but having the chance to win here no matter what, it’s huge. It’s special, and somebody’s going to have a big day on Sunday.”