"I wouldn't rule it out" - Tyler Reddick looks to rivals' misfortunes for Championship 4 spot heading into Homestead
Tyler Reddick hasn't ruled out the possibility of advancing to the Championship 4 on points, despite sitting 30 points below the cutline as they head to Homestead. Reddick acknowledges the challenge, given how unpredictable and chaotic playoffs have been this season.
The regular-season champion had struggled to maintain momentum in the playoffs, but the #45 Toyota team arrived at Las Vegas with a race-winning car. Reddick won the first stage but was later involved in a wreck, flipping over on the front stretch. This incident ended his outing and dropped him below the cutline.
With just two races left until the Championship 4 lineup is set, Reddick hasn't ruled out the possibility of advancing to the season finale on points. However, he admitted that the 30-point deficit is too big to overhaul, even if he navigates the chaos. Speaking to the media at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he said (via Frontstretch):
"If we have calm races from here to the last lap at Martinsville, I would say its probably, um too great a deficit. But I feel like every freaking race in this playoffs something crazy happens."
The #45 Toyota driver insists that the intent for the weekend is to win the race or run in the top three in all the stages, and hope that misfortune strikes the playoff drivers above the cutline.
"So I wouldn't rule it out, but for us to advance, today we have to run top-3 and score a lot of points and if we want to win this race we got to do the same thing. Hopefully, we get some things to go our way along the way but we got to focus on just going into this weekend with intent of winning." he added.
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Starting from pole position for this weekend's race, Reddick has the best chance to win and advance to the season finale. Given his less-than-stellar track record at Martinsville, winning the Homestead race is pivotal for Reddick and the #45 team.
Tyler Reddick starts on pole while few playoff drivers face a setback
Tyler Reddick, 28, kicked off his Homestead-Miami weekend on a high note, clinching pole position for the Straight Talk Wireless 400. Reddick will lead the field to the green flag beside playoff driver Kyle Larson, with Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin starting on the second row.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott lines up seventh, while Ryan Blaney and William Byron faced early setbacks, and will start 20th and 24th, respectively. Joey Logano has clinched a spot in the championship decider and will take the green flag beside Byron.
With Reddick starting on pole and Byron back in 24th, the #45 Toyota driver has a prime opportunity to close the points gap by collecting valuable stage points. Hamlin can also score big points in the stages, while Elliott and Blaney are in must-win territory.
The Straight Talk Wireless 400 is scheduled for this Sunday, October 27, at 2:30 PM ET. Catch the action live on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM.