Tyler Reddick will start the Brickyard race from pole this Sunday and he will have a familiar face beside him. 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin will be lining up alongside him on the front row. With passing on the Indy Oval expected to be difficult during race conditions, both drivers will be giving it their all to capture the lead of the race early. While the racing will be hard, Reddick and Hamlin have always been fair with one another. The #45 Toyota Camry driver expects more of the same on Sunday.
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The two competitors have battled on track multiple times and it has always been without incident. Speaking to the media ahead of the event, the pole-sitter said that there was a lot of respect between them. However, that is not going to put a dent in either’s desire to win. A Brickyard win is special and both haven’t visited Victory Lane in quite a while now. So far Hamlin has won three races while Reddick has taken the checkered flag once this season.
On the pole, but the job’s not finished. pic.twitter.com/P5psSfTmAR
— Tyler Reddick (@TylerReddick) July 20, 2024
“I honestly feel like we race each other very fair, but hard,” the #45 driver said during a media interaction. “I know how badly he wants to win here. And I know how bad I want to win here. It’ll just be something we’ll have to manage throughout the day, and we’ll just see how it goes. Obviously, he and the 11 team are stout.”
Reddick has won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course layout in 2022. The fact that he has been able to bring similar pace to the oval track is a significant feat. However, winning the pole is one thing, getting the race victory is a completely different ball game.
Tyler Reddick conflicted about racing on the Indianapolis Oval
NASCAR’s return to the Indy Oval has been greeted with a rousing response from most of the drivers. However, Reddick finds himself conflicted. The 23XI Racing star is an excellent road course racer who has tasted success at the venue. Moving away from a track that is his strong suit will be a challenge but he understands the historical significance behind the Brickyard‘s return.
“I’ve been torn, naturally, because we’ve ran the road course here and have been very strong,” he said. “I could see it in my team and at the shop – a lot of individuals that have ran the Brickyard for a lot of years, on the team, are really excited to return. You could see it in the fans, and in some ways, myself.”
The driver of the #45 car has missed out on multiple race wins this year and will be looking to make amends. A win at the Brickyard would be exactly what the #45 crew at 23XI Racing need going into the upcoming postseason playoffs.
