Regular season points leader Tyler Reddick isn’t having the best of days driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry at the Darlington Raceway. The concern isn’t his race car or the track condition, but rather his upset stomach that is causing him serious discomfort.
This issue has been persisting since the start of the race for Reddick. It got to a point where he made the plea to his team to find a fix for this problem via the team radio. “I’m throwing up, sh–ting myself, all of the above.” As a response, the #45 team bundled a supply box for Reddick to consume at the end of the stage 1 run.
However, the team was unable to hand Reddick any medicine and will look to come up with a solution at his next stop. The timing couldn’t have been worse for the 23XI Racing star, as he is unable to put up a fight against Kyle Larson, who is edging ahead in the race for the regular season championship.
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Tyler Reddick: “I’m throwing up, shitting myself, all of the above.” Reddick’s team tells him they have a plan. They will give him two bags of ice and a drink. #NASCAR
— Jonathan Fjeld (@Jonathan_Fjeld) September 1, 2024
How long will Reddick be able to endure this pain inside of his race car? And if he wants to keep running and compete for the regular season title, his team will need to find a relief hack quickly.
Tyler Reddick braved his upset stomach to win the regular season championship
Right from the get-go in stage 1, Reddick struggled with his physical condition in delivering his very best. But, with some words of encouragement, improvised medicine, and his determination to get the job done finally paid off. Although it looked like he could quit the race any moment, the driver of the #45 car stuck to his task and ground out the results.
Surprisingly, his regular season crown was in jeopardy, with Kyle Larson’s dominance also turning in his favor late in the race. He might want to thank Chase Briscoe for helping him win the regular season championship title. Had it not been for Briscoe’s bold attempt to seal his playoffs run, perhaps Reddick wouldn’t have anything to cheer for on a grim day.
Call it dumb luck or fate, the difference between Reddick and Larson in determining the regular season champion was one singular point. But the 23XI Racing driver wasn’t content with his team’s performance overall. “It was frustrating to see that; we had that buffer over the 5 and I just watched it disappear all day long. I tried everything to drive as fast as I can, it was a struggle, honestly.”
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However, he was able to cherish the labor of his hardship in winning the regular season championship. Now this does put the #45 team at a huge advantage as they added 15 bonus playoff points.
Reddick restored the buffer between him and the competition
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It’s fair to say that Tyler Reddick and the #45 team have been one of the most consistent running race teams in 2024. With two Cup Serie wins to their name and having sealed their playoff spot, their primary objective was to grab hold of those 15 bonus points. It is a huge advantage to have and a fail-safe mechanism of sorts that could keep their playoffs run alive in case they are struck by a one-off bad race.
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Larson was within touching distance of pulling off an upset on Reddick by leading 263 of 367 laps on Sunday night. But the late race chaos and drama ensured that the 23XI Racing driver would walk home with the regular season championship. Team co-owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin celebrated the team’s achievement after the race.
Given how strong Tyler Reddick and the #45 team have been so far in 2024, they are genuine title contenders now going into the playoffs.
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Does Reddick's explicit rant show he's cracking under pressure or just being real about his struggles?
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