A sense of déjà vu. That’s what Tyler Reddick will be feeling going into Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the South Point 400. The 23XI Racing driver made it to the Round of Eight last year as well but was eliminated before he had a shot at the championship at Phoenix Raceway. This time around, he will be aiming to go one step further, hoping to overcome the inconsistency that has been plaguing his playoff performances in the opening six races.

However, legendary NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick has shared insights about Reddick’s title ambitions, highlighting a strategy that could play to the 28-year-old’s strengths. With the stakes being higher than ever, could the regular series champion capitalize on his opportunities in the upcoming races?

It’s now or never for Tyler Reddick

Tyler Reddick made it into the Round of Eight, but only just. The 23XI Racing driver was below the cutline going into the 2024 Bank of America ROVAL 400, knowing that nothing but a good result would keep his title hopes alive. He couldn’t have begun on a better note on Charlotte Roval’s hybrid course, qualifying in second place and winning the opening stage. However, an incident on Turn 7 involving Denny Hamlin forced Reddick to lose several grid positions, but the California native made a dramatic turnaround during Stage 2 to salvage an 11th-place finish and secure a top-8 spot.

Sharing his views about Tyler Reddick’s playoff hopes, Kevin Harvick said on the Happy Hour podcast, “I still think Reddick can go out there and win one of these first two races. I don’t know that he’s going to. If he doesn’t put himself in a good position going into Martinsville, I think they’ll be in trouble because that’s just not a track where we expect Tyler Reddick to go and dominate. I think being able to put that car up against the fence, so it really kind of leans into giving Tyler Reddick a good chance at Las Vegas and Homestead. They got to get it done in the first two races.”

Kevin Harvick might be onto something. Tyler Reddick’s best shot at the Championship 4 lies in the first two races of the Round of Eight. He’s been stellar at Las Vegas, finishing no lower than third in his last two outings, and grabbed a top-five at Homestead-Miami last year. But Martinsville could be his Achilles’ heel—he’s struggled there, finishing outside the top 20 in his last two races.

Reddick’s postseason hasn’t matched his regular season consistency. Despite winning at Talladega and Michigan, he’s had four finishes outside the top 20 in the playoffs so far. Yet, except for a crash at the Roval, it feels like he’s finding his form just in time. A win at the South Point 500 would secure his spot in Championship 4, something he’s eager to achieve to relieve some

Harvick hoping to see urgency from Reddick

What separates champions from the rest? Is it their insatiable hunger to perform at their highest level? Or the ability to push beyond the limits to get that extra edge that makes all the difference in the end? He might not have won a championship yet, but Tyler Reddick has everything it takes to lift the title at Phoenix Raceway. While he has shown glimpses of fulfilling his true potential in the past, Kevin Harvick believes that the 28-year-old still needs to work on his mentality, to take his performances to the next level.

Despite facing a setback at the Charlotte Roval, Reddick drove like a man possessed during Stage 2 to keep his title hopes alive. Hoping to see more of the same in the upcoming races, Kevin Harvick said, “That urgency and that communication and the things that they had when they had to have it. How do you find that and make that just be the norm? That’s really what you know, that piece of the puzzle, to be able to do that outside of when you need to do that is really what takes guys to the next level.”

With four races remaining before the 2024 season ends, time is running out for Tyler Reddick to switch to a higher gear. Will he rise to the occasion and snatch the opportunities with both hands or wilt under pressure after being weighed down by the burden of expectations placed on his shoulders?

Time will tell. With his team currently in a lawsuit battle with NASCAR because of the charter proposal, won’t it be poetic if Reddick lifts the biggest title of them all in the final race of the season?