Clutch performance. That’s the best way to describe Tyler Reddick’s 11th-place finish at the Charlotte Roval, after surviving an elimination scare in the 2024 Bank of America ROVAL 400. The 23XI Racing driver is reaching the Round of Eight for the second consecutive year, but it was far from straightforward this time. Despite starting the race in second place and winning the opening stage, the regular series champion was a victim of multiple on-track incidents that threatened to derail his championship hopes.

Highlighting the financial incentives that come with finishing high in the playoffs, Denny Hamlin has revealed one of the factors that may have motivated Tyler Reddick to make a stunning comeback at the 2.28-mile hybrid course.

Denny Hamlin highlights financial incentives in playoffs

In some ways, whatever could go wrong, did go wrong for Tyler Reddick at the Charlotte Roval. The stakes were higher than ever at the final Round of 12 playoff race and the California native knew that modifications made to the track’s layout could pose a whole new set of challenges. As it turns out, that’s exactly what happened. His No. 45 Toyota was involved in a crash with Austin Dillon and Denny Hamlin at the track’s redesigned Turn 7 on Lap 30, and suffered suspension problems because of the contact. Reddick was forced into the pits multiple times in the following laps while his team assessed the damage and tried to salvage his race.

Highlighting that Tyler Reddick was fighting for more than his title hopes, 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin revealed in the Actions Detrimental podcast, “Basically, can say that the car will bring in $135,000 more per position that you move up. Now, that doesn’t include the year-end purse. That’s a number as well that I don’t know off the top of my head. Every position you can move up, it’s an extra $135,000. If Tyler were to get eliminated and not go to the final four, then he’ll get reorganized back in points with the other 12 that didn’t make the final four. They all get receded based on how they did the entire 10 weeks.”

Tyler Reddick drove like a man on a mission at the 2024 Bank of America ROVAL 400. After the on-track incidents, the 28-year-old was forced to resume the race in 35th place and was at serious risk of not progressing to the Round of Eight. Hoping that the drivers around the elimination cutline finish poorly, Reddick drove fearlessly to gain track positions and finished just outside the top ten, doing just enough to progress into the next postseason round. By securing 45 points from the race, the 23XI Racing driver is third in the driver standings, just behind Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell.

With four races to go before the 2024 season ends, Tyler Reddick has all the motivation he needs to make a deep playoff run. While the California native hasn’t shown the same level of consistency in the playoffs that we had seen in the regular season, Reddick will hope to rediscover his form going into Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It’s a track where he has finished inside the top ten in the last two years and the No. 45 Toyota driver will be looking to build on those performances at the 2024 South Point 400.

Tyler Reddick’s crew chief shares his views on playoff elimination

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NASCAR has always been a sport where the narrowest margins can make the biggest differences. Whether it’s mere seconds separating two drivers on the finish line or a point determining the difference between elimination or progression. Every little advantage a driver can hold on to during the playoffs can make a big difference in the long run, which is why Tyler Reddick’s crew chief Billy Scott wants to leave nothing to chance during the business end of the season.

Highlighting the importance of getting results during the postseason, Billy Scott said in the post-race media interaction, “I think it goes to show every point matters. And I think you see it every year. About every round, it comes down to a few points — less than five, generally. So that’s just why you fight. I mean, even last week at Talladega, damage repair there, too. Watkins Glen — yeah, we’ve done it more often than we would like we’d like in these playoffs. So it’s just another statement that is how (much) it matters and never give one point on the table.”

As things stand, Tyler Reddick is 10 points above the elimination cutline going into the Round of Eight. The upcoming races at Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami, and Martinsville will represent a difficult challenge for the 23XI Racing driver, one that the California native hopes to match up to in the weeks ahead. The California native has never made it to the Championship 4 in his Cup Series career so far but will be looking to remain in title contention at Phoenix Raceway later this year. Will he be able to go wheel-to-wheel with NASCAR’s best and emerge victorious at the grandest stage of them all? Time will tell.