Reddick’s reduction at first playoff advance
A victory on Sunday at Kansas Speedway was not solely a reduction for Tyler Reddick because it locked him into the following spherical of the NASCAR Cup Sequence playoffs, but it surely may need lastly eased the ache of final yr’s disappointment.
Reddick is advancing into the Spherical of 12 for the primary time in his profession. In his earlier two postseason appearances, Reddick was left annoyed by early ends to his championship hopes. Each instances, it was two factors that Reddick missed advancing by.
“Actually, final yr was the heartbreaker,” Reddick mentioned. “Two years in the past, we simply weren’t nice, and we went into Bristol and missed it by a pair. However final yr, we had these wins, we got here to this race … and had a flat whereas main and fell out very early. So, we went into Bristol in a nasty spot after which bought caught up in a wreck.”
Getting into the postseason final yr, Reddick seemed primed for a deep run. Reddick, then driving for Richard Childress Racing, had received two races through the common season and was seeded eighth. He began the primary spherical with a third-place end at Darlington Raceway, however a thirty fifth place at Kansas – from the blown tire whereas main – put him on the bubble going into the elimination race.
Collected in a multicar crash on lap 277 at Bristol final season, Reddick completed the race however behind these he was racing with for the ultimate switch spot. He finally completed 14th within the championship standings.
Reddick started the 2023 postseason within the tenth seed with a win at Circuit of the Americas in March. He completed second at Darlington, which positioned him effectively above the cutline earlier than Sunday’s race.
“I’m positive even when we didn’t win in the present day and completed second or third, we’d have had a whole lot of factors to lean on going into Bristol, in order that was simply the objective all alongside,” Reddick mentioned. “I need to win races, however we don’t must take the dangers within the first spherical.
“I feel as we maintain going alongside and we get additional in, and we don’t have the factors to start out that a few of the automobiles on the very entrance of the leaderboard do, we’ll must get extra aggressive. However it was very good to get 5 playoff factors in the present day and achieve just a few extra as we go on to the following spherical.”
Bristol has not been one in every of Reddick’s finest racetracks. In 4 begins on the asphalt, Reddick has one top-10 end (fourth in 2020). Having a win in his pocket this weekend, Reddick and crew chief Billy Scott mentioned nothing will change for the crew other than attempting to bag extra factors and playoff factors.
“I suppose nothing actually modifications,” he mentioned. “We’re going to enter Bristol getting ready this week developing, attempting to make our automotive as quick as attainable, for me clearly, however for additionally attempting to get all the things we are able to to assist the 23 crew out. Hopefully, we are able to go in there with a whole lot of pace and contend.”
