HOMESTEAD, Fla.: Despite wrecking 89 laps into last Sunday’s South Point 400, Tyler Reddick remained optimistic at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The 28-year-old driver was brimming with confidence, given the speed of his No. 45 23XI Racing machine, even though his Toyota resembled the remains of a car put through a car crusher at a local junkyard.
Even after finishing 35th and entering Homestead-Miami with a 30-point deficit, Reddick was ready to attack the track—and did just that. On Saturday, Reddick led final practice and won the pole for the Straight Talk 400 NASCAR Cup race.
“It was just a solid day for our team,” said Reddick, after winning the pole with a lap at 167.452 mph. “To go out and practice and have the speed over the run, the handling over the run that our Beast Killer Sunrise Toyota had, it was really, really nice.
“Then going into qualifying, we kind of had a mindset and an approach, and we stuck to our game plan in the first round and then kind of did a little bit of “me” in the second round and it paid off.”
Reddick’s team owner, Denny Hamlin, has performed noticeably better than his younger driver in the postseason. In his last five starts, Hamlin has earned four results of eighth or better. However, after a valiant eighth-place comeback last Sunday following a string of brutal missteps in the pits, Hamlin did not leave Las Vegas with the same spring in his step as Reddick.
One week later, Hamlin is still searching for the mojo that has fueled the 43-year-old driver to all 11 Playoffs since the program was initiated in 2014.
“Momentum is very overrated when it comes to this sport,” Hamlin said. “It’s very week-to-week, in my opinion. But, we have to perform like we’re capable of and we just haven’t shown that in quite some time.”
During the summer months, Reddick posted nine results of eighth or better in 10 races—concluding with a win at Michigan Speedway that vaulted the No. 45 team to the top of the point standings and fueled Reddick to the regular season title. The bonus points have been critical to him advancing over the first two rounds of the Playoffs, since Reddick’s best result in his last seven starts has been sixth.
After starting on the front row the past two weeks, Reddick is encouraged by his speed and the performance from the team.
“It feels like we’re back to where we need to be,” Reddick said. “It’s good timing, honestly. We need to have a solid run tomorrow. Ideally, I would love to leave here after coming back to Victory Lane one more time and punch our ticket.
“We have a lot of racing left to do, obviously, but the racing is off to a great start and we’re doing what we need to.”
Hamlin, on the other hand, is wondering what the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team needs to turn things around this weekend. Topping his list is providing the crew with enough information to make the right decisions for qualifying and the race.
Hamlin was eighth on the speed chart in practice and posted the fourth fastest result in time trials.
“I make sure I’m putting in the work during the week to get better,” Hamlin said. “I make sure that I execute on the race track and give the team a better opportunity to succeed.
“There’s lots of things in my bucket of improvement that I need to get out.”
With a 27-point deficit entering next weekend’s race, if he’s in a must-win situation going into Martinsville Speedway, can Hamlin accomplish the feat?
“I certainly can,” Hamlin said. “The ‘will’ of you is the real question. If I knew how the race would play out, I’d do a better job driving. It’s just, these are variables, and you have 35 other guys that have different plans than letting you win.
“You know, it’s very difficult to win these races. We’ve seen that. Certainly, I feel like it’s a race track if I had to (win to advance), I’m certainly capable. The ‘will,’ I don’t know.”
The contrast between Reddick riding a wave of conviction in his cars and the team compared to a veteran with a full plate of responsibility questioning his probability of winning is stark. Clearly,the uncertainty has followed Hamlin to Homestead. However, experience tells him that with the current system, “you always have a chance until that last cutoff race is over.”
“It doesn’t matter how far back you are in points, you just have to find a way in,” Hamlin said. “Chris (Gabehart, crew chief) does a really good job pumping the team up, keeping them motivated and getting the best out of them.
“We all go through these swells when we’re not performing our best and certainly, the timing is not ideal right now, but every week is a new week with them and me. So, I feel optimistic going into this one that we’ve done the work in the week to get better and we’re all going to hopefully perform our best.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
