Expectations were high from Tyler Reddick going into the second playoff race at Watkins Glen International. The regular series champion is somewhat of a specialist on road courses, having secured victories at Road America (Xfinity Series) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s (Cup Series) road course in 2022, and COTA in 2023. However, the 23XI Racing driver couldn’t build on his impressive P6 finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the opening postseason race and was forced to settle for 27th at ‘The Glen’.

Speaking in the post-race interview, a disappointed Reddick called out Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez for an on-track incident, which could explain the 28-year-old’s lackluster finish at the 2024 Go Bowling at The Glen.

The race weekend didn’t begin on the best note for Tyler Reddick, who was forced to settle for 16th place in qualifying ahead of the playoff race. His No. 45 Toyota Camry struggled to replicate the lightning-fast pace that was seen during the practice sessions, in which the 23XI Racing driver recorded the quickest time on the grid. But the California native more than made up for his disappointing track position by performing well in the opening stage at Watkins Glen, climbing nine spots in the opening 20 laps to finish seventh at the end of Stage 1.

However, the tides turned in Stage 2, after an incident with Daniel Suarez’s No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro. Speaking about what affected his overall race result, Tyler Reddick told Frontstretch’s Daniel McFadin, “I got hit in the right rear by the 99. That little bit of wheel damage, well, we basically limed it to the end of the stage. Worked on it, replaced it totally. Hoping that was going to fix it and seemed to break better, but I mean, we were literally a second and a half off the rest of the day, so not really sure.”

It’s easy to empathize with Tyler Reddick’s frustrations, as the 23XI Racing driver has only finished worse than 27th six times this season, including last weekend. Given how high the stakes are in the second playoff race, seeing Daniel Suarez finish 14 places higher after “jeopardizing” Reddick’s race result would have been a bitter pill to swallow. However, in the grand scheme of things, the 28-year-old racing driver remains in a comfortable position to make it into the Round of 12, right behind Daniel Suarez, who is P5 in the playoff standings currently.

As things stand, the 23XI Racing driver is 30 points above the playoff cutline. Reddick can make amends for his lackluster result at Watkins Glen International by securing a victory at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Reddick recalls Michael Jordan’s superspeedway jibe

Tyler Reddick wants to prove himself, especially after Michael Jordan, co-owner of 23XI Racing, questioned his skills when he first joined the team. Recalling a conversation with Michael Jordan on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, Tyler Reddick said, “Me, him (Jordan) and Bubba (Wallace) were talking something about speedway racing. I can’t even remember what I said, but he turned to me and said, ‘Man, you don’t have any room to talk. You’re terrible at speedway racing’.”

Remembering the effect that comment had on Reddick, the 23XI Racing driver went on to say, “I have some extra motivation, I was already motivated to get better at speedway racing. When MJ calls you out about not being very good at it, it’s easy to find motivation to get better.”

With the playoffs heading to Bristol Motor Speedway next, Tyler Reddick will hope to put the disappointing result at Watkins Glen International behind him. His aim at the 2024 Bass Pro Shops Night Race will be to perform better in qualifying so that he isn’t forced to deal with an uphill task of gaining track positions to earn stage points.

Reddick may not have won at Bristol in his Cup Series career so far, but given his consistency throughout the 2024 season, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that he could secure a victory this time around.