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23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick clinched his spot in the Round of 12 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with a sensational victory at Kansas Speedway. Reddick pulled off a thrilling double overtake in the final overtime restart to win his second race in his 2023 campaign.
Reddick started the race on the third row and showed solid pace as the race progressed. Unable to challenge the #11Toyota, he eventually seemed to settle for second in the final stage behind team-owner Denny Hamlin. However, a late race caution blew the race wide open.
With two laps left in the final overtime restart, Erik Jones and Joey Logano were ahead of the #45 Toyota driver as they had a two-tire stop, while Reddick had a four-tire stop. Daniel Suarez was hanging in the lead on old tires and was cleared quickly. Reddick then dispatched both the Jones and Logano on the final lap.
The 23XI Racing driver who is known to ride the walls, switched lanes and dived down the inside on the start-finish line to grab the lead as the white flag fell. He was unchallenged on the final lap and took the checkered flag to advance into the next round in the playoffs.
Fans cherished the thrilling end to the race and lauded Tyler Reddick for his last-lap overtake. Reddick's sensational pass on the final lap left the spectators spellbound, as his racecraft drew comparison to the NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt.
Here are a few other reactions:
Tyler Reddick sympathizes with teammate Bubba Wallace's unfortunate tire blowout
Both 23XI Racing drivers showed solid pace at Kansas Speedway, with Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace both in contention for at least a second-place finish.
However, a right rear tire blowout in the second stage ruined Wallace's race, leaving him multiple laps down on the leaders. Reddick sympathized with his teammate, stating that the team would discuss the incident in the debrief.
“Yeah, we’ll definitely talk about it tomorrow on our debriefs. But I think there’s been some things that I’ve been through last year that may help just everyone understand maybe what exactly happened. I had a lot of flats last year,” he said in the post-race press conference.
He added:
“I hate to see that. They had a really solid car. They would have certainly contended the rest of the day as well,” he added.
Bubba Wallace admitted that he could have avoided the incident, saying:
“I’m pissed at myself, I wasn’t close to the fence maybe would’ve gone by with less damage but you’re never gonna get a flat tire or blow a tire when you’re around 20th. You’re gonna get it when you’re really fast,” he said post-race.
Wallace was frustrated to have lost out on a possible victory or solid points finish but was happy to see the #45 Toyota in the victory lane, which has now won the last three out of the four races.
While Tyler Reddick advances to the next round, Bubba Wallace is 19 points below the cutoff mark heading into Bristol Motor Speedway.
