“You can’t take it away from them”: Tyler Reddick backs rival’s NASCAR win, doesn’t buy into the playoff system backlash

Despite the criticism Joey Logano faced on winning his third title, 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick came forward to defend Logano. During an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90), the 28-year-old expressed that Logano "definitely deserved" the title.

23XI Racing driver emphasized that even after advancing to the Championship Four Race, drivers still need to perform at their best to win the race. Reddick also discussed his strategy for the current playoff format and mentioned that the drivers start their season with everything they have, but things change as they enter the round of eight.

Tyler Reddick explained how to overcome the challenges faced during the final stretch of the playoff:

"You know it's so important once you make it to the round of eight to win in Vegas or homestead, to give yourself extra time, so you have more than two days to turn around leaving Martinsville to get ready for Phoenix. So the format is stressful. For sure. You never really feel safe. There's many times in my playoffs where it's like, where we were put in a bad spot and thought we were at the end of our road, but we overcame it." [00:49]

He further explained how the built-up pressure could lead to a mistake easily, and the drivers have to be extra careful. The #45 driver defended the 2024 Cup Series champion and concluded:

"You can make a lot of arguments, but at the end of the day, the #22 team did what they needed to do to get there, and they put on an insane performance on Sunday, so you can't take it away from them." [01:30]

Joey Logano won his third title and defeated defending champion Ryan Blaney. Logano's teammate Blaney crossed the finish line just a few seconds after the #22 driver and finished in P2.

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Denny Hamlin reflects on performance after using a similar car setup to his co-owned team's driver, Tyler Reddick

NASCAR Cup Series driver and Tyler Reddick's team co-owner Denny Hamlin opened up about his performance and car setup during the final race of the 2024 season at Phoenix Raceway. Hamlin was eliminated after the Xfinity Race held at Martinsville Speedway.

The #11 Toyota Camry driver kicked off his race out of the top ten in P14 and finished the race in 11th place. He ended the season in eighth place with three victories, 18 top-ten finishes, 12 top-five finishes, and four pole positions.

Tyler Reddick's team co-owner spoke to Fox Sports' NASCAR analyst and journalist Bob Pockrass and shared the reason as why his car struggled to keep up with the leading teams, despite using a setup similar to Reddick's.

"We just didn't have the speed. I mean, we're riding a horse that's got like a sprained ankle. (0:14) You know, we just don't have that light switch of speed that those cars have at these last few short tracks of the year. It doesn't really show up throughout the year, but just somehow in the playoffs, it comes," stated Denny Hamlin.

"I thought they did a great job. We ran the 45's stuff all weekend. I thought it drove well; it just didn't have the speed that it needs to compete with those top couple of cars," he added.

Tyler Reddick began his race from P10 and finished the race five spots above his team co-owner in sixth place. On the other hand, Team Penske dominated the race, and Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron finished in third place.