How Kevin Harvick Forced Tyler Reddick to Become a Better Road Course Racer

How Kevin Harvick Forced Tyler Reddick to Become a Better Road Course Racer

23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick is one of the best road course racers in NASCAR currently. Heading to Austin for the next Cup Series race at the Circuit of the Americas, he is one of the favorites to win. But from where did the 28-year-old gain such expertise in tackling the technical road courses?

Engaged in a conversation on the “Harvick Happy Hour” podcast with racing icon Kevin Harvick, Reddick revealed how an incident with the former served as the jumpstart that put him on the journey towards becoming a road course ace. Reddick opened up that he was struggling on the Charlotte Roval in 2020 when Harvick rear-ended him and gave him a watershed moment.

He explained, “You had some sort of issue. You’re trying to come back through the field, and I’m just lost out there trying to go in the backstretch chicane. I think I’m in the braking zone, right? And I brake so early, you a**-packed me. I think it destroyed your radiator. It destroyed your race car, right? I’m back here running 30th just in everybody’s way.”

The crash made Reddick reflect on himself and he now has 3 victories on road courses. The 2020 Roval race that he brought forward ended with him in 12th place, his worst finish at the track. Since then, he has come in 2nd, 8th, and 6th at the track in each of the last three seasons. In the upcoming race’s venue, COTA, 1 win, and two top-10 finishes.

He continued that he felt bad about hurting the chances of everyone including Harvick at the Roval and that he wanted to do something about it. The result was that Reddick got into different race cars in road courses during the offseason that followed and honed his skills all winter. The numbers prove that his work hasn’t gone in vain.

Reddick’s odds of success in the upcoming race in COTA

Reddick has 8 top-10 finishes in the last 10 races on road courses. He is COTA’s most recent winner and the only driver to win multiple times on road courses in the Next Gen car. According to the statistical formulas of Racing Insights, Reddick is projected to end up victorious on Sunday. FanDuel Sportsbook puts his odds of success at +400. 

He has shown good speed so far in the 2024 season, but a victory keeps slipping through his fingers. Reddick will get a golden chance to find victory lane in Austin this time and chances are that he will utilize it well.

Post Edited By: Ankit Sharma
Kevin Harvick Tyler Reddick

About the author

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Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 3000 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.

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