Ever since he joined 23XI Racing, Tyler Reddick has been as impressive as they come. He won twice in his first year with the team and has already earned one race win this season. The 28-year-old has come close to winning this year on several occasions as well. Team co-owner Denny Hamlin has always been quite impressed with the driver of the #45 Toyota and recently, he spoke about Reddick’s most impressive quality.
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As per the #11 JGR driver, it is Reddick’s ability to adapt to any situation that sets him apart. No race is ever entirely smooth. It is how one can drive in adverse situations that make for a great motorsports athlete. Reddick has that talent in him to perform even when things are not going well during a race, opines Hamlin. He is considered by many as one of the best racers in the Cup Series today and with good reason. He will be hoping to make use of that talent fully in the remainder of the season.
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— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) August 9, 2024
“I think that his ability to adapt. I knew he was good at it. He was certainly good at it, at several different race tracks but his ability to adapt during a race. No one has a perfect handle on the car, but driving the best of what you’ve got is what I think he is really, really good at,” Hamlin said in a media interaction ahead of this weekend’s Cup Series race at the Richmond Raceway.
Reddick won at Talladega Superspeedway this season and came close to taking the checkered flag in Las Vegas, Nashville, and Chicago. He even finished P2 in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway race before the season came to a halt due to the Olympics break.
Hamlin lays bare his expectations from 23XI Racing
Such form is crucial for the #45 driver to live up to his boss’ expectations. 23XI Racing may be a relatively new team but they have been challenging for race wins quite frequently. As far as Hamlin is concerned, he wants both drivers in the Round of 8 in the playoffs. Reddick managed to do that last season and will hope to go one step further this time around.
“Two cars in the playoffs – that is way too modest for what we have going on there. My goal would be to have both cars in the final 8. That is my goal that continues to move us to that trajectory of having a car in the final 4 within 5 years,” the 23XI Racing co-owner said earlier this year.
While Reddick seems to be on course to achieving that feat, his teammate is some way off. Bubba Wallace has shown signs of improvement and definitive consistency in the last few races, which is a positive development for everyone involved with the team. However, the #23 driver still has strides to make if he wants to challenge and one-up his teammate going forward.
