“We Should’ve Won” – Tyler Reddick Left Frustrated as Late Race Strategy Ruined His Dominant Run

23XI Racing star Tyler Reddick had a genuine chance to secure his first victory of the NASCAR Cup Series this season. Reddick’s No. 45 team unloaded with a quick car, dominating 10, 15, and 20-lap averages in practice. During the race, he scored seven stage points by finishing fourth in the opening stage. Despite missing out on stage points in the second stage due to differing strategies, Reddick eventually took a considerable lead for the first time over second-placed Denny Hamlin, on Lap 180. This was before pitting for the final time on Lap 214.

However, a series of late-race events prevented him from getting the checkered flag in AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. Frustrated as he should rightfully be, Reddick opened up on the factors that prevented this win.

Tyler Reddick disappointed with not being able to capitalize on the opportunity

In the post race interview with Frontstretch, Tyler Reddick hashed out his frustration regarding Sunday’s race. The interviewer asked Reddick about his overall views regarding the race, the wrecks, and also of people losing control. He said, “Yeah, I mean, we should have won today. We should have won today. That’s all there is to it.”

Further dissecting his run and judging what he could have done differently, the driver further said, “Yeah, I mean, once that group came in, you could kind of move around. But really, if you have a really good solid race car, you can still really hit there and all that stuff far behind. But yeah, you can move around and make some passes, but this track is starting to wear out a little bit.” The driver further added, “I just need not to give up the lead on that restart. That’s what I’m saying.”

Tyler Reddick showcased dominance at times, maintaining a lead of approximately four-tenths of a second over other competitors. Regrettably, due to unforeseen issues during a pit stop, his advantage slipped away. Despite the disappointment of not securing a higher position, the outcome could have been even worse.

The late race strategy that had the 23XI star cost the race

During Lap 180 of the race, Reddick surged ahead to take the lead by overtaking Harrison Burton. Over the subsequent 34 laps, the No. 45 car extended its advantage over second-place driver Denny Hamlin to more than five seconds. However, during the final pit stop on Lap 214, the No. 45 team encountered difficulties on pit road, particularly with the left-rear tire. This resulted in an 18.4 second stop, over seven seconds slower than Hamlin’s.

Reddick regained the lead after John Hunter Nemechek’s wreck on Lap 230, but a subsequent restart shuffled him back to fourth. His teammate Bubba Wallace followed right behind at P7. Battling for position, Reddick made contact with the wall while fighting Brad Keselowski for third. Unable to fully recover, he ultimately had to be satsified with a P4 after encountering four additional caution flags, including two overtimes. This achievement represents his third top-five finish in the first nine races of the season. The other two came at COTA and Las Vegas.

After being so close, Reddick will undoubtedly be eager to secure a victory as he heads to the Talladega Superspeedway. I would be interesting to see how he performs in the upcoming race!