Tyler Reddick must be thanking the gods of time for not letting Kyle Larson participate in the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte last May. Had the Hendrick Motorsports star raced in that event, Reddick could quite possibly not have been crowned regular season champion. And if he hadn’t been crowned so, his subpar results in the playoffs could have got him eliminated already.
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Save for the race in Atlanta, in which he finished in sixth place, the 23XI Racing driver has finished 20th or worse in every playoff race so far. His worst result of 27th place was in Watkins Glen.
The inefficiency has pushed him down the ladder and he currently sits 14 points above the Round of 8 elimination line. The upcoming race in Charlotte Roval is his only opportunity to confirm a seat in the next round.
But what does he need to ensure it? A repeat of the performance that he put up in Road America back in 2022. He beat the road course ace and 2020 Cup Series champion, Chase Elliott, by 3.304 seconds to secure what was his maiden win in the premier tier of NASCAR. He drove for Richard Childress Racing at the time and made quite the statement with his victory.
A feat of a similar nature is what will cut it in the current scenario. Reddick needs to remind his competitors that he doesn’t intend to let the regular season championship be the peak of his 2024 achievements. He is yet to pick up a win in the Roval but has three top-10 finishes in four appearances. He finished runner-up to Larson in the 2021 race at the track.
23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin defends Reddick
Hamlin is currently in a pickle with issues surrounding him. He is engaged in an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and he has his championship hopes hanging in the balance to mention a couple. Reddick getting knocked out of contention is the last thing he must want to see right now.
However, he has expressed a good understanding of the 28-year-old driver’s situation. He said, “Now again, in this sport, you have these ebbs and flows and you’re not always going to be the fastest. But it just seems like the averages are now working themselves out.”
“And, certainly, some of it is the schedule and certainly these tracks that we’ve run. Four races in the Playoffs, it’s just hard to get results.” As hard as it may be, the veteran is going to be extremely disappointed for Reddick to only come so far. He will want to take home a Cup Series championship trophy in Phoenix, as a team owner if not as a driver.
