After winning Stage 1, Tyler Reddick later made contact on the frontstretch chicane with Denny Hamlin, bending his right rear toe link. This put Reddick in a difficult position for the rest of the race, but he definitely answered the bell. Reddick pushed through the field to secure a P11 finish, taking the final spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs thanks to a courageous performance in this past Sunday’s Round of 12 finale at the Charlotte Roval.
This Sunday marks the start of the Round of 8 in Las Vegas, and Kevin Harvick hopes Reddick’s urgency from Charlotte will carry over into the final four races of the season. On his “Happy Hour” podcast on Tuesday, Harvick remarked, “I loved how they performed under pressure.” I think, ‘Where is that all the time?’ when I look at that. Where is that constant sense of urgency? That’s what I want to see from Lap 1. That urgency, that communication, and the things they had when they needed them—how do you find that and make that the standard? We saw him in practice do a little spin out there getting going.
What really elevates guys is that final component—the ability to perform that outside of the required time. How Tyler Reddick finds the extra equipment each lap to perform even when he isn’t in need of it is actually what I’m waiting on from him. Reddick, the current regular season winner, is undoubtedly one of the many talented players in the group of eight vying for the Cup Series title. Reddick had the upper hand going into the postseason, but he hasn’t performed well in the six playoff races.
Reddick finished P27, P20, P25, and P20 in the following four races after finishing P6 in Atlanta. Reddick does not want to be in the Roval again, and that put him directly on the cutline heading there. After the race, Reddick remarked, “It’s difficult, but you just have to maintain your composure.” “Dude, you have to maintain your concentration during those times. It’s really simple to forget what you can manage. In any case, I was going to drive as fast as I possibly could. And for us, it just worked out. We were able to reach the positive side of the cutline thanks to this thing’s ability to climb back up through the field.
