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Tyler Reddick shows Truck Chase drivers how it’s done, wins at Las Vegas

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 175 Qualifying

LOUDON, NH - SEPTEMBER 24: Tyler Reddick, driver of the #29 Cooper Standard Ford, stands on the grid prior to qualifying for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 24, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

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Tyler Reddick didn’t qualify for the inaugural Camping World Truck Series Chase for the Championship, but that didn’t stop him from being the class of the field and winning Saturday night’s DC Solar 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Reddick led 70 laps, nearly half of the 146-lap event, to earn his first win of the season and third career triumph.

In addition, Reddick and teammate and Chase driver Daniel Hemric brought about the first ever 1-2 Truck Series finish and the first win ever on a 1.5-mile track for Brad Keselowski Racing.

“It’s an incredible accomplishment, not just for our team but for the whole organization,” Reddick told Fox Sports 1. “I’m just kind of breathless and speechless. It’s a big deal for everybody on this team.”

MORE: Results from Camping World Truck Series DC Solar 350 at Las Vegas

MORE: Camping World Truck Series standings after Las Vegas

Hemric rebounded strongly after a disappointing 28th place finish last week at New Hampshire put his chances for advancement to the next round in peril. Hemric has now earned nine top-five finishes this season.

"(Reddick) was so good, clean air is always king here at these mile-and-a-halfs,” Hamric said. “I’m so proud of everybody at Brad Keselowski Racing. ... It was just not quite enough (to catch Reddick on the last lap), but still a solid day for the whole company.”

Another driver who fell short of making the Chase, Cole Custer, finished third.

Six other Chase drivers finished fourth through ninth: Ben Kennedy, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton and pole-sitter Timothy Peters.

The remaining Chase driver, John Hunter Nemechek, finished 16th.

How Reddick won: Reddick dominated by leading 70 total laps –- including the last 44 laps – of the 146-lap event. Late in the race, Reddick held off a strong challenge from teammate Daniel Hemric, including getting Hemric loose, which essentially proved to be the difference in the race. “I know he’s probably not the happiest at me getting on his door real bad, but we just had to make that move there to be able to hold him off from up-front.”

Who else had a good race: Daniel Hemric needed a big bounce back from a disappointing 28th place finish at New Hampshire last week and did so, finishing second. … Kudos also to another non-Chaser, Cole Custer, who finished third, as well as a strong finishes by young drivers Ben Kennedy (finished fourth), points leader William Byron (fifth) and Christopher Bell (sixth).

Who had a bad race: With his 16th place finish – the worst showing of all eight Chase drivers – John Hunter Nemechek dropped to last in the Round of Eight standings with one more race (Talladega in two weeks) before the field shrinks to the Round of Six at Texas on Oct. 29.

Notable: Reddick finished second in last year’s standings, but failed to qualify for the inaugural Truck Series Chase this season. Still, his win Saturday proved he could be a spoiler in the remaining five Chase races. … Saturday’s race was the fastest Truck Series race ever at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1 hour, 34 minutes, 31.000 seconds).

Quote of the day: “I can promise you, if there’s anybody that’s going to be behind the 19 (Hemric), pushing him to victory at Talladega, I’m definitely going to be helping him 120 percent. I’m going to be on his back bumper, pushing him, making sure he’s in the next round of the Chase.” – Race winner Tyler Reddick on his plans to help teammate Daniel Hemric at Talladega to advance to the Round of Six.

What’s next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is off for the next two weekends. It returns to racing on Oct. 22 with the Fred’s 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

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