2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular season champion Tyler Reddick has found himself far from last season’s title-contending form. A year ago, Reddick notched two wins and 11 top-five finishes in the regular season, but this season has been a big contrast.
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With zero wins and only five top-five finishes in 21 starts, he remains outside the playoff picture with just five races left until the playoffs. While speed hasn’t been the issue, converting strong runs into victories has been his main problem.
Addressing his struggles ahead of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, Reddick admitted, “Unfortunately, when those opportunities have been there (to win), we haven’t executed. We’ve made a mistake, we’ve done something along the way that either makes that much more difficult to win or takes out of it. So that’s just kind of the name of the game.”
He reflected on the Dover race as an example, where, despite having a strong car, small errors proved costly. With the thin margins and fierce competition in stock car racing’s top tier, even minor mistakes carry heavy consequences. Hence, all Reddick focuses on is to go out there, do his job, and execute without fail.
Looking ahead, Reddick made it clear that merely qualifying for the postseason isn’t enough. “Honestly, for us, making the playoffs is the minimum requirement. This team, the performance we bring to the race track, whether it’s our pit crew, our cars, or how we strategize the race. For us, yeah, it’s crazy to even think we’re worried about just making the Playoffs. To be in the Playoffs, you have to make it,” he stated.
Still, he acknowledged that without crucial playoff points, the #45 team would face an uphill battle once the postseason begins. Ultimately, that means that when playoffs do kick off, Reddick anticipates having to run 20 or 30 spots better than some of the guys who will be around him in each round.
While he isn’t thrilled about his current position, Reddick’s focus is bigger than simply securing a playoff berth. For him and his #45 team, it’s not about just making the Playoffs. It’s about going far in the playoffs. “It’s about making it to the Championship 4 and competing for championships. That’s what it’s about,” he asserted.
