Denny Hamlin Lets Slip Crucial 4-Word Advice to Tyler Reddick That Backfired on Himself at Kansas

The pupil reigned supreme over the master at Kansas as Tyler Reddick beat boss Denny Hamlin to the finish line on Sunday. It was the second race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, and the 23XI driver punched his ticket to the round of 12. As a racer, Denny Hamlin might be a bit upset that he did not get the win, but as a team owner, he must be brimming with pride.

Caution had come out on the track in the race’s final stages, and with only a couple of laps to go, the race was restarted in overtime. Reddick found himself in third behind Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez right after the restart. As the two ahead of him were fighting for the lead, the 27-year-old masterfully swooped to the inside without making contact with anyone and took the lead, which he held on to until the end of the race. Denny Hamlin had to work extra hard as he did not get a good run as the green flag fell, but he still managed to finish in second place.

Did Denny Hamlin guide Tyler Reddick to a fifth-cup win, and forget to execute the strategy himself?

In the post-race press conference at Kansas, Hamlin said that Reddick has had issues with race management for the longest time, not being able to finish off races in the position that he should have been in, but his willingness to learn has helped him improve that aspect of his race craft.

And it’s there for everyone to see. Reddick was never someone one would see consistently at the front of the pack towards the closing stages of a race, but in the last two races, he has finished second and first, respectively.

But there was a time when Hamlin had his heart in his mouth when he saw Reddick cruising close to the wall while in the lead with less than two laps to go. The 23XI Racing co-owner said that he radioed his team some advice to relay to his pupil, which the driver of the #45 promptly took to beat his own boss to the line.

“You know the last part of the race when we were just cruising at that point, they mentioned to me that the 45 was at the fence, he’s getting all that he can just to kind of keep up. At that point I said, Remind him don’t be the caution right, like let’s just keep this thing status quo,” Denny Hamlin said.

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The advice paid dividends for Reddick, who was indeed running perilously close to the wall with a little over one lap left. However, had Reddick made a mistake, it might have given Hamlin the opportunity to pass him and win the race. Despite whatever controversy he might surround himself with, it just goes to show the selfless nature of the veteran, who was more than happy that his pupil overcame his weaknesses and got a fantastic result for himself.

It was Tyler Reddick’s fifth career race win, and it is arguably one of the biggest races he has won so far. His boss, Denny Hamlin, was praised in the post-race press conference, as he commended Reddick’s ability to stay grounded and his willingness to learn.

23XI Co-owner admires Reddick’s down-to-earth nature

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“Yeah I mean Tyler’s a sponge. He really is. It’s easy to be cocky at times and just know that you got speed and you got what it takes to be a champion and a lot of race winner, which he will be,” the 23XI racing co-owner said.

“But he is a sponge that’s always willing to learn and even in victory lane he’s asking me, “So what were you doing in the final run?” So he’s wanting to learn more which is really really good, so,” Hamlin added.

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The playoffs have gone quite well for 23XI, especially for Tyler Reddick. While the driver is still not seen as a serious contender for the title, he can be a dark horse as the season progresses into its final stages.

And with the mind of a NASCAR veteran like Denny Hamlin to guide him, there is a possibility that Reddick might launch a title charge as the playoffs go on. How far do you think Tyler Reddick can go into the playoffs?