Tyler Reddick crew chief 'promoting' aggressive nature heading into Championship 4 as 'that's who he is; when it's on the line'
Just one week after Tyler Reddick's ambitious three-wide move ended in a flip, the #45 Toyota driver redeemed himself at Homestead with an aggressive last-lap overtake to win the race. Crew chief Billy Scott backed the aggressive approach, emphasizing that it is essential at this stage of the season.
Reddick showed winning speed at Las Vegas but his aggressive move ultimately ended his race. While 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin was critical of his driver's approach, #45 crew chief Billy Scott supported his driver, insisting it wasn’t too aggressive.
After Reddick's aggressive last-lap move at Homestead paid off, Scott explained that the #45 Toyota driver was inherently an aggressive driver who liked to be on the offense. He emphasized that 23XI fully supports Reddick’s approach, noting that this level of aggression is crucial for success in the playoffs and at Phoenix.
Speaking to the media in the press conference, the #45 crew chief said that Reddick was hard on himself after Las Vegas but made up for it at Homestead. He said (via Bob Pockrass):
"First off, my opinion is last week was not too aggressive. Was there risks involved? Yes. Was there risks on the guys that took two tires at the middle of the race, stayed up front, have cars on better tires behind him? Yes. That's part of what we do. We were very supportive of him this week. I think he was probably harder on himself than anybody else was within our company."
"Like you said, that's who he is. That's what we're promoting. Last week wasn't a must-win, but I think this week was a lot closer to that. Phoenix will be close to that again. That's the aggression you need at this point in the season," the crew chief added.
Reddick's aggression initially put him on the back foot at the Roval but it also helped him rally through the field to avoid elimination. The regular season champion's aggressive driving style has ultimately helped him reach the season finale and fight for the championship.
Tyler Reddick elaborates on late-race bold strategy
Tyler Reddick was on an alternate strategy compared to the rest of the front-runners in the final stage, hoping for a caution late in the race. However, he was forced to pit but an immediate caution put him back in contention.
He overtook his bossman, Denny Hamlin, and reigning Cup champion Ryan Blaney on the final lap to win the race. Reddick told SiriusXM post-race on the strategy:
"I thought we were still a good car and we just had to go for it at the end. There was no reason to do what everyone else was gonna do. Just incredible sequence that took place there, to lose the lead, seemed like it was over to then fall back to fourth and drive back to the lead. Just crazy!"
Reddick will make his first Championship 4 appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series, which also marks 23XI Racing's first final-four appearance. He will fight for the title on November 10 at Phoenix Raceway.