Denny Hamlin deems Tyler Reddick a championship favorite following NASCAR regular season title win

Denny Hamlin named Tyler Reddick one of the favorites to win this year's Cup Series title after the latter clinched the regular season championship at Darlington Raceway. Reddick drives the No. 45 entry for 23XI Racing, a race team jointly owned by Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Tyler Reddick is currently on his fifth full season in the Cup Series. He is a two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and the first driver ever to bag back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019 for two different teams: JR Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing, respectively.

Reddick entered Sunday's Southern 500 with a 17-point cushion over Kyle Larson, who was also one of the contenders for the regular season championship. After finishing 10th on Sunday, Reddick found himself just one point ahead of the Hendrick Motorsports ace.

"The 45 is one of the best teams in the garage right now," Denny Hamlin said of Tyler Reddick's team during a post-race interview. "They're running well, they're not having those really, really bad finishes that some of us have."

"They are gonna be one of the contenders that are gonna be one of the favorites (to win) this championship. I think the tracks suit him very well; especially the road courses where I'm probably not looking forward to (but) he is," Hamlin added.

Although Reddick is a two-time winner this season (Talladega and Michigan) and is already locked in the playoffs, his latest achievement will give him a 15-point carryover bonus through every round he makes throughout the playoff rumble.

"Throwing Up And Sh***ing Myself"-Tyler Reddick's health deteriorates at Darlington

Tyler Reddick fell ill while driving his 23XI Toyota Camry at the 1.366-mile racetrack. Early in the race, he had requested his crew members to give him something to munch on. Soon, he radioed to his team that he was not feeling well. However, he finished the race.

"I'm throwing up, sh***ing myself, all of the above," exclaimed Tyler Reddick.

His crew members handed him some medication that would make him feel better, but the pills were so small that Reddick dropped them inside his cockpit. The team then proceeded to crush some fresh pills into Reddick's bottle and gave it to him during the next pit stop.

"Just really thankful that a lot of great people on our team," Tyler Reddick said during a post-race interview (via On3). "They were feeding me the right stuff in the car to help me manage it best as I could. Just smart people. Able to put the right stuff in my drink to help calm my stomach down. At one point, I was just waiting to puke all over myself. Thankfully they kept that from happening. A whole lot of other gross stuff."

Tyler Reddick now owns 823 playoff points. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott sit below him in P2 and P3 with 806 and 805 points, respectively. He has led a combined 472 laps this season and amassed 11 top-5s and 17 top-10s.