23XI Racing’s star Tyler Reddick gets real after a ‘bummer’ result at NASCAR Phoenix race 

NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick has shared his struggles after finishing 20th-place finish at Phoenix ahead of the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas this Sunday. Reddick, driving the 23XI Racing No. 45 Toyota, started the race ninth last weekend at Phoenix Raceway and ran as high as second for most of the race.

However, during the final stage, his power steering started failing and a speeding penalty in the pits pushed him to the back. He stayed on the lead lap but could not climb back up the field with several cautions near the end.

In his latest Instagram post, Reddick shared pictures of the No. 45 team and wrote:

"Bummer for how Sunday ended for us. Power steering went away, and made it hard to turn the wheel. Our 45 group brought a really fast car, and appreciate their continued effort and hard work. Ready to get to Las Vegas!"

Tyler Reddick finished second during last year's spring race in Las Vegas and has five top-10 finishes at the track in ten starts since 2020.

"Just have to live with it" - Tyler Reddick on second place at Daytona 500

Tyler Reddick has two top-5 finishes so far and is currently third in the points standings behind William Byron and the Shriners Children's 500-winner Christopher Bell. The 29-year-old claimed pole for the third NASCAR Cup Series race of the season at Circuit of the Americas (COTA). He fought hard against Christopher Bell and William Byron for the win during the final laps but ended up in third position.

Reddick had a 19th-place finish at Atlanta the previous week and a runner-up finish at the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway. During a post-race interview, Reddick spoke about securing second place at the Daytona 500, his first top-10 finish in seven starts.

"Tonight was a step in the right direction. But of course, you know, the stinger in all of it is, well, you ran second. That's good, but second in the 500 is tough. So just have to live with it," Tyler Reddick said (01:10 onwards).

"It's nice to just, uh, be able to not have to take a trip to the infield care center, not take a hard hit. Uh, we, we continue to see a lot of those here. So any day that you can, uh, drive your car to pit road after the race and you're inside the top 15, you got to be happy at a speedway," he added (01:50 onwards).

The fifth race for the season, the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, is scheduled for 2:30 pm on Sunday, March 16. It will be broadcast on FS1.