Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick is back in the Cup Series playoffs. He has two wins and added confidence based on his progress at road courses. Simply put, he’s in a good place and ready to roll.
Reddick made the comments during Playoff Media Day. He explained that he is excited about kicking off the playoffs at Darlington Raceway considering that he was within reach of a win during Throwback Weekend. He also knows that his history with crew chief Randall Burnett makes this championship dream “more realistic.”
@TylerReddick has been with @RandallB14 for his entire tenure at @RCRracing. This relationship could play a significant role in the 2022 #NASCARPlayoffs as they pursue another championship together.
“[I’m] in a really good place, honestly,” Reddick told Heavy. “We’ve won two races this year. They’ve been road courses. But that hasn’t always been my strong suit though. The oval’s been good to us too, and we’ve got a great opportunity.
“I mean, kicking this thing off, we’re going right to Darlington, a place that’s been really good to me most of my Cup career and my Xfinity career. So yeah, ran second in the spring, and it’s a great way to start everything back off.”
Along with entering the playoffs with added experience, Reddick will also have confidence based on strong performances at upcoming tracks. He has runner-ups at Texas Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Charlotte Roval, and Darlington Raceway in his career, and he knows that he can recreate this success with more opportunities.
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Reddick Will Have To Use Some Strategy
GettyTyler Reddick can use strategy to move through early rounds.
Reddick is in a solid place overall entering his second playoff appearance. He has two wins, and he is eighth in the standings. However, he is only five points above the cutline, so he can’t afford any mistakes.
There will be times during the early playoff races when Reddick will have to make a decision. Does he try to get a little something extra out of his car and fight for the win, or does he focus on stacking points? Pushing for the win could majorly pay off, but it could also lead to a race-ending wreck that eliminates him from the Round of 16 or Round of 12.
“I mean, every race, just take it one step at a time, one race at a time,” Reddick explained. “I mean, we’ll know if we’ve got a car that can go win a race and how hard we have to push to do that.
“And be realistic, not go crazy,” Reddick added. “I feel like that’s how you get yourself in trouble. When the playoffs come in, the pressure of it comes, you tell yourself you have to take your driving to another level. And that’s when the mistakes follow. So just being aware of those things and staying on track and making the most of the days that you have.”
Avoiding Mistakes Will Be Critical in the Round of 12
GettyTyler Reddick prepares for practice at Road America.
The strategy aspect will be key during the Round of 16. If Reddick can win or secure enough points to move on to the Round of 12, he will deal with some wild cards. He will first race at Texas Motor Speedway, a fairly standard intermediate track, before taking on Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte Roval.
How does one exactly prepare for the carnage of Talladega and the unique layout of the Charlotte Roval? There isn’t a tried or true method, but Reddick knows that how he performs at Texas Motor Speedway will affect how he approaches the superspeedway.
“You get in the car at Texas and go run your normal race,” Reddick said. “You go to Talladega, maybe come up with a game plan for that one. Like, we’re in a spot where we can play it safe [or] we’re in a spot where we need to go and attack at Talladega, put ourselves in that risk.
“After that, you know, we go into the Roval and just go about it no matter what our points situation. Go in there and try and win the race, whether we’re in a safe spot or not. In a lot of ways that race does make the Round of 12 Interesting, but I don’t know if Talladega would be make-or-break if you have the right mindset.”
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Tyler Reddick in ‘A Really Good Place’ Entering NASCAR Playoffs