Delayed Yellow in Grant Park 165 Lets Reddick Pit Early, Draws Criticism

Early incidents disrupted NASCAR’s Grant Park 165 street race on Sunday, beginning with a Lap 3 spin by Carson Hocevar that blocked the track and triggered the first caution. Several cars piled in, forcing crews to repair damage under yellow. The greater controversy came on Lap 31 when Josh Berry spun after contact from Erik Jones and stalled in an unsafe position. Race control withheld the yellow flag to see if Berry could refire, but he remained stationary. The delay allowed Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe and Bubba Wallace to dive onto pit road under green-flag conditions just before the caution was finally displayed. Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief Chris Gabehart said there “should not have been an opportunity for cars to pit” before the caution, calling the decision “silly.” Reddick’s timely stop gave him a strategic advantage as the field slowed, while teams that waited were forced to pit under yellow and concede track position. The race continued under caution as officials cleared Berry’s damaged car.