Reddick now in NASCAR’s playoff mix at Texas after missing cut last year and then winning there

Tyler Reddick this time made it into the spherical of 12 that begins in Texas, the place final yr he gained a tumultuous and tiring race proper after simply lacking the lower in NASCAR’s playoffs.

With a win at Kansas after opening these Cup Sequence playoffs with a runner-up end at Darlington, Reddick superior and already is considering what he must do to make it previous this three-race spherical in his first season with 23XI Racing.

“It’s about having clean days and considerably constant finishes,” stated Reddick, who completed fifteenth at Bristol final weekend. “I believe if we are able to keep within the high 15 every of those races on this subsequent spherical, when even no matter a win, I believe we’ll be in fine condition to make it by the spherical of eight. After which clearly it’s a bit trickier.”

In fact, one other win at Texas on Sunday would give Reddick an automated cross into the spherical of eight — identical as a win would do for any of the opposite 11 remaining playoff contenders.

That group contains Kyle Busch, now driving the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing that Reddick took to victory lane in Texas, a race scheduled for 100 fewer miles this yr.

Reddick now sits eighth within the standings, solely three factors forward of the cutoff to advance. Bubba Wallace, his 23XI Racing teammate, is twelfth however nonetheless alive within the playoffs, with Texas, Talladega and the Roval in Charlotte to go earlier than the elimination of 4 extra drivers.

So is Denny Hamlin, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver nonetheless in search of his first Cup title and a associate within the Michael Jordan-owned 23XI workforce. Hamlin is third after profitable at Bristol and is taken into account one of many favorites on the Texas observe the place he has gained thrice.

“Actually based mostly off of velocity that we present week in and week out, completely I consider that we’re among the best 4 groups on the market that ought to compete for a championship in Phoenix,” Hamlin stated Saturday. “Generally issues are out of your management, but when they keep inside our management, I do consider that this yr that we are going to be robust to beat.”

The second-round opener at Texas was highlighted final yr by a number of tire points resulting in crashes — Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. all blew tires when main. There have been a track-record 16 cautions, a report 36 lead modifications and a 56-minute pink flag for rain and lightning within the space.

“It was a bit little bit of an oddity,” Reddick stated. “I believe it’ll be a much less loopy race (this yr) … extra easy.”

Whereas lots of these tire points a yr in the past had been the results of groups pushing the boundaries, Goodyear introduced new right-side tires for this race on the 1 1/2-mile oval that has completely different banking at each ends of the observe.

Reddick led 53 of the ultimate 54 laps final yr, when he misplaced a lap early when the workforce thought it had a unfastened wheel, misplaced observe place once more after contact with one other driver going into Flip 1 and later virtually crashed when some security foam contained in the cockpit got here unfastened and received caught on the steering wheel.

“I don’t know the place to even begin. In all probability probably the most disastrous race I’ve had in my Cup profession, this race one yr in the past,” Reddick stated. “We simply received lucky and had tires on the proper time.”

He completed 1.19 seconds forward of Joey Logano, who went on to win the season title final yr.

However Logano already is out of competition to change into NASCAR’s first repeat Cup champion since Jimmie Johnson gained 5 in a row from 2006-10. Logano was among the many first 4 playoff drivers eradicated this yr, when he was thirteenth within the standings after Bristol.

TOP OF THE STANDINGS

William Byron goes into Texas with a series-high 5 wins and main the standings.

“I positively assume it’s my greatest likelihood at it up to now. You realize, I have a look at being 25 years previous and I really feel like I’ve a variety of alternatives at this,” Byron stated. “So it is a studying expertise to see what the stress is like attending to Phoenix. … Really feel like every year has been a gentle development on that regular studying curve. So I simply need to hold that going and attempt to make that subsequent step.”

Byron has two extra wins than Truex, who has the identical variety of factors.

MINUS 100 MILES

For the primary time since Texas opened in 1997, the Cup race is not scheduled for 501 miles. It’s set for 400.5 miles over 267 laps, 67 fewer than previously.

The shortest Texas race has been 440 miles, when climate shortened a spherical of eight race in 2016 to 293 laps. The longest was 2014, when green-white-checkered finishes stretched to 512 miles over 341 laps.

BRING ON THE HEAT — AGAIN

Temperatures had been within the higher 90s final yr at Texas, making it the most well liked Cup race there. That could possibly be surpassed this yr when the excessive Sunday might attain 100 levels Fahrenheit (37 Celsius).

“I used to be taking a look at (final yr) for reference, however I do assume it’s going to be robust. These automobiles are actually sizzling,” Byron stated. “We’ve taken a variety of measures to assist the cooling on our facet with the cool shirts and all these issues, so hopefully all that stuff works effectively.”

ODDS AND ENDS

NASCAR hasn’t launched its 2024 schedule, and there have been elevated rumblings that Texas gained’t be a part of the playoff combine subsequent yr. The observe used to host races in each April and November. “Texas has been very lackluster recently,” Busch stated. …. Kyle Larson and Hamlin are listed as favorites to win Sunday, per FanDuel Sportsbook.