“Some of the handling issues that we had at tracks where normally it’s not an issue for us really set that in stone for the first round.” However, those same issues came to plague Tyler Reddick in the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The 23XI Racing driver had the regular season trophy in hand four weeks ago. But subsequently, he lost that luster as the Round of 16 fared badly.

The opening race of the next round was no different. The defending race winner of the Hollywood Casino 400 found himself in a dilemma. Although Reddick acknowledged NASCAR’s ingenuity with the Next Gen car, he could not accrue its benefits.

Tyler Reddick confesses to wheeling problems

The Next-Gen car has been controversial since its 2022 debut, facing criticism over low horsepower, passing issues, and the recent installation of air deflectors. Tyler Reddick experienced challenges, managing only a 6th-place finish at a chaotic Atlanta race. He followed that with a 27th at Watkins Glen and a 20th at Bristol, leaving him still in search of a top-five finish in the playoffs, and ending his run in a worse P25 finish in Kansas. With a 12.267 average finish so far, his luck hasn’t clicked despite relying on bonus points to advance to the Round of 12.

Despite his troubles, the 23XI Racing driver could not help but put in a good word for the second shark fin that NASCAR installed after Corey LaJoie’s Michigan spin. Reddick said, “I think…the car doesn’t spin as quick. So when a car yawns, you can just slide up a whole lot more than it used to. It might be that the car is a lot easier to drive than it was.”

He also added, “It’s a lot easier to lap after lap, slide off the corner. That’s something I’ve been used to.” This opinion refutes that of Tyler Reddick‘s employer, Denny Hamlin, who has been vocal about the Next-Gen’s faults. However, Reddick eventually fell into that mix.

Tyler Reddick ultimately couldn’t help but admit to the problems he faced. He believes the flexibility of the car complicates things, “Because you can slide up more, I think drivers and teams are trying to move their balance around. But we didn’t see teams waiting for it in the long run. I was one of them. But it definitely made the car harder to drive.” He added, “A lot of the times when you get in this car, you get loose and you almost have to back off completely…Because it becomes so easy to spin the car out or wreck because of it. And it just slows down a lot.”

Now Tyler Reddick will enter the trickiest part of the playoffs with a four-point deficit. Although he holds a trophy at the next racetrack, its formidable nature can jitter any driver into subservience. Yet Reddick is going prepared.

All hands on deck for the next one

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Now that Kansas, a ‘traditional’ track in Christopher Bell’s terms, is done and dusted, it is time to mess things up a bit. Talladega Superspeedway is up next on the Cup Series calendar. This 2.66-mile beast of a draft track has led to some of the most dramatic wrecks in history. Up till this day, it gives drivers goosebumps—including the best in the sport like Kyle Larson. But everybody, including Tyler Reddick, needs to face the music finally. The No. 45 Toyota driver won the spring race in Talladega, but he is aptly aware that caution is the best policy at this track.

He outlined his well-prepared approach to the race to Speedway Digest: “I don’t think we approach it differently. You still need to do what is best for your team whether that’s as yourself or working with the other Toyotas…I have confidence when we go to the speedways, certainly, of what we need to do to put ourselves in a position to win. But every race plays out just so unique…We just have to be adaptable when we go too speedway races like that. You have to be ready to adjust up or adjust down. It just depends on how much fuel saving takes place in the stages of the race.”

Hence, Tyler Reddick is occupying battle stations to take on Talladega. Let us hope that the 23XI Racing driver pulls through with flying colors!