Three non-playoff drivers' wins in the Round of 16 ended the hopes of Tyler Reddick to win his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series championship. Along with Reddick, his teammates Austin Dillon and two veterans, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick, were eliminated from the NASCAR playoffs.
The #8 Chevrolet driver qualified for the 2022 playoffs with two victories but failed to perform better in the later rounds of the playoffs. He has now come forth to express his thoughts on how the non-playoff drivers won all three races in the opening round of the playoffs.
Speaking to the media, Reddick stated that this Next Gen car demands perfect execution from the drivers. He also said that non-playoff drivers were trying to show that they deserve to stay where they are in their respective teams.
Reddick said:
“This Next Gen car has shown that you have to execute all race long. It always seemed like the Playoff drivers and teams get locked-in this time of year and they can just take it to a different level and really make things happen. This is a new car, so we’re all trying to squeeze out every last detail. I think drivers and teams that aren’t in the Playoffs are trying to show they deserve to stay where they’re at in their respective organizations. You have to be perfect all race long and that’s truly a difficult thing, especially at a track like Bristol.”
Tyler Reddick thinks another non-playoff driver winning trend in the playoffs to continue at Texas Motor Speedway
The 2022 AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 is set to roll out on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway and Tyler Reddick feels that the trend of non-playoff drivers upsetting the playoff grid with race wins is expected to continue at Texas Motor Speedway.
Reddick said:
“I’m not surprised by so many different winners but I thought by this time of year it would be trending back in the direction that it always has been. I certainly think Texas could be another race where we have a non-playoff driver win.”
If a non-playoff driver manages to take the checkered flag at Texas Motor Speedway, then it would set a modern-era record for becoming the 20th different winner in a single season in NASCAR’s history.
Catch Tyler Reddick at Texas Motor Speedway for AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 on Sunday, September 25, 2022.