Most drivers would be happy to get back-to-back top-five finishes like Tyler Reddick has the past two weeks.
But Reddick can be excused for feeling disappointed. Both his last two races could have easily been wins if a few things had gone differently. Instead, he and 23XI Racing have been left to wonder what might have been.
A week ago, at Nashville Superspeedway, Reddick survived the quintuple overtime chaos and was charging through the field during the final laps. He got to leader Joey Logano’s back bumper going into turn 3 for the final time, but he could not figure out a way past the No. 22. Reddick was highly frustrated in his post-race interview, despite a strong third-place finish
“Everything,” Reddick told NBC’s Kim Coon when asked if he could have done anything differently. “It’s very disappointing. I’m trying my best (to deal with the frustration), but it’s tough. I’m trying to keep it cool at the moment. I’m really upset about how that ended.”
Last weekend’s race at the Chicago street course brought another good finish, but no relief for Reddick’s disappointment.
For the second time in as many years, the race was another grueling, rainy affair ultimately cut short by darkness. With the end of the race approaching, the No. 45 team was one of many to pit before the end of stage two and exchange wet tires for slicks. The pit stop dropped Reddick deep in the field as several drivers who had been at the back of the pack stayed out, opting to keep track position and finish the race on rain tires. Initially, Reddick and his fellow competitors made little progress on slicks, and staying on rain tires appeared to be the correct call.
However, the track conditions ultimately shifted to favor slicks in the final five minutes of racing.
Reddick began rocketing through the field, just as he did at Nashville. He was rapidly closing in on leader Alex Bowman, who still had rain tires, and was within sight of the No. 48 as the white flag flew. Reddick had the speed to pass Bowman on the last lap and was seemingly on his way to redemption. But as he raced through turn 5 for the final time, Reddick took the corner a bit too tight and bounced off the inside wall. The contact broke his momentum and allowed Bowman to get away. Bowman held the lead until he took the checkered flag and ended a winless drought of more than two years. Reddick had to settle for second.
“We were catching Alex by a large margin there… and, I don’t know,” Reddick said. “That puzzles me. I clearly just screwed up trying to stay in the dry groove. And, I had more than enough room of dry groove as I’m seeing right behind you (on the replay), and just cut the wheel a little too hard. Just not focused enough, I guess.
“Just didn’t even give ourselves a shot to race him, unfortunately, with that. Hate it, not what this Jordan Brand Toyota Camry is about, it’s not what this team is about. We’ve got to start capitalizing and getting these wins.”
NBC’s Parker Kligerman said it well after Reddick’s interview, calling racing in the NASCAR Cup Series “a game of inches.”
That phrase perfectly describes Reddick’s season and encapsulates how close he has come to winning several races. In addition to Chicago and Nashville, Reddick nearly won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. He ran second to Kyle Larson in the final laps and closed within a car length with three to go. However, Larson did an excellent job blocking Reddick’s line and disrupting the air flow around his car, and Reddick was unable to make the pass.
Another potential win that got away from the No. 45 was at Darlington Raceway.
Reddick dominated the middle portion of the race and won the second stage, but as the laps wound down, he was trying to catch leader Chris Buescher. With 10 laps to go, Reddick attempted to pass Buescher by diving low through turns 3 and 4 and sweeping past the No. 17 on the corner exit. But Reddick could not complete the pass and sandwiched Buescher into the wall. The contact led to cut tires on both cars, opening the door for Brad Keselowski to win and knocking Reddick and Buescher out of contention.
An angry Buescher, who had his own loss to Larson the previous week by 0.001 seconds, confronted Reddick on pit road after the race. Reddick took responsibility for the incident, acknowledging Buescher’s frustration at a lost opportunity.
Certainly, Reddick has caught some bad breaks in 2024. Yet the story of his season would not be complete without recognizing that the game of inches did go his way at Talladega Superspeedway. In the first place, Reddick was the first driver off pit road when he and his Toyota teammates made a planned pit stop on lap 142. Being the leader of the Toyota draft allowed Reddick to miss the crash that unfolded behind him a few laps later. Then, on the final lap, Reddick narrowly avoided getting clobbered by Michael McDowell’s spinning car in the race to the finish line. The No. 45 team got the trophy that day, but it could have just as easily left Talladega with nothing but the steering wheel.
If you are keeping score at home, Reddick’s record this year is 1-4 in close finishes. Certainly, driver error played into things at Chicago and Darlington, but you have to wonder if bad breaks and missed opportunities could be Reddick’s undoing in 2024.
He is locked into the playoffs and has banked eight playoff points, but that total could be significantly higher if a few things had gone differently, especially in the last two races. As the battle for the championship heats up at the end of the season, you never know when Reddick might miss having those points.
Again, Reddick can be excused if he is disappointed with top-five finishes. The game of inches mostly has not gone his way, but there are still six more rounds to play before the postseason begins.
Perhaps Reddick can reverse his luck and come out smiling once more before the playoff field is set.
About the author
Bryan began writing for Frontstretch in 2016. He has penned Up to Speed for the past seven years. A lifelong student of auto racing, Bryan is a published author and automotive historian. He is a native of Columbus, Ohio and currently resides in Southern Kentucky.
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I have always liked Reddick as a wheelman. I know what Hamlin would have done with Larson and Joey in those situations. I commend Tyler for racing clean. He’s only going to get better, those wins will come.