Tyler Reddick couldn’t capitalize on his maiden Championship 4 appearance at Phoenix last Sunday. The #45 driver threw away the golden opportunity to be a NASCAR Cup Series champion and let Team Penske’s Joey Logano grab that honor for the third time in his career. However, the disappointment of failure hasn’t stopped Reddick from being the classy person that he has always been.
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The 29-year-old spoke on SiriusXM recently and jumped to the defense of Logano against the naysayers who opined that his victory was undeserved. The criticism was that the playoff format was faulty and that is why the #22 driver had been able to become champion. While this does hold a certain degree of truth to it, Reddick does not believe that it is a reason to discredit Logano off his achievement.
He said, “When we start the year, we all know what it’s gonna be. We all know where we need to be our strongest, so it really shouldn’t be a surprise.” The format is a stressful one that demands performances in the toughest moments, but that’s the way it is and the No. 45 driver has come to accept things. However, he is also ready to adapt to whatever changes that may come in the future.
He continued about Logano, “You can make a lot of arguments but at the end of the day, the No. 22 team did what they needed to do to get there. They put on an insane performance on Sunday. You can’t take it away from them.” The champion sure will be pleased to hear these words from a competitor at a time when support for him appears to be running thin.
Logano on the core reason behind Team Penske’s success
The Next Gen Cup Series car has been in use for three years and for three years, a Team Penske driver has lifted the championship trophy. What makes the Roger Penske-owned outfit so good with this upgraded car? Logano believes that it is the people who work with him that make the difference.
He said in a recent interview, “It is not the cars. It’s not the parts and pieces of the cars. They’re all the same. So, it is not like you’re gaining an advantage there. It’s people obviously, right? It’s the people that put the cars together, it’s the little details that matter.” The pressure of the playoffs is another factor that aids them.
He mentioned that Team Penske performs better under pressure and that the playoffs are a high-pressure situation throughout. The demand for victory that Roger Penske places on them all is the final piece of the puzzle that pushes them into victory lane season and season again.
