Most drivers would take a P3 finish as a positive result but that was far from the case with Tyler Reddick. The 23XI Racing driver was distraught at the end of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville on Sunday. Speaking to a reporter after the race, he said that there were no positives to take home from the result. This is despite him stating earlier that his team needed to put together top-five finishes.
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According to Reddick, the only reason he was able to finish in the top five was because superior cars were taken out of the picture due to fuel-related issues. The 28-year-old driver must have hoped to win the race under such circumstances. He had a golden opportunity to take the lead on the final restart but was just not able to do so.
“I’m trying my best but it’s tough. I’m trying to keep it cool at the moment. I really am upset about how that ended,” the driver of the #45 car said.
Tyler Reddick, who finished 3rd, was visibly upset with the way the race ended. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/1k9FkQHOUM
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 1, 2024
Reddick has had seven top-five finishes so far this season, including a win at Talladega, But since then, neither he nor his teammate has been able to get 23XI Racing to Victory Lane.
Tyler Reddick had the best chance on the final restart
The #45 driver explained that the final set of tires he had taken did not give the car the balance it had all race. It was towards the end of the race that the tires fired up and gave him an opportunity. Reddick wanted to come in for a change but his crew chief advised against doing so. That seemingly paid off and the 28-year-old only had himself to blame for not winning the race in the end.
“Just kept being aggressive on the restarts and I mean we got ourselves all the way there. It’s tough. Had just about everything go right into the last lap, I just didn’t get the job done,” he said as per Speedway Digest.
The disappointment on his face was evident in the pit road interview but Reddick has to bounce back. NASCAR will race on the streets of Chicago next and the 28-year-old is quite good on such tracks. So he’ll hope to capitalize and score a win in the process.
