TOYOTA RACING – Tyler Reddick
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (September 2, 2026) – 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick was made available to the media on Wednesday as part of NASCAR Chase Media Day at the Charlotte Convention Center.
TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 Chumba Casino Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing
How easy will it be to put the stretch of bad luck behind you?
“I think we’ve done a good job of putting it behind us each and every week. It is more than bad luck. There are things that have happened that we have learned from, and most importantly how we respond and handle those moments and make the most out of them isn’t something that we need to forget or move on from. Yeah, ideally, it’s good to have good points days, but as much as you want to think that you will have 10 races go exactly as planned, no mistakes, no issues – things are going to happen that you are not ready for and you are going to have to fight through adversity at points. We’ve been through enough of it and ready if we have more of it.”
Is this the best you have felt entering a postseason?
“It just doesn’t even feel the same. We are going after a championship, but the process, the grind, everything, it’s all way different. It’s so different between the two.”
Because of the format change?
“The biggest thing – the Playoffs could be harsh, but they were in some ways forgiving because of the rounds and the resets. We just had the one reset, and you are not going to get another one. It is going to be so important to be consistent, mentally stay in it. You have to balance the aggression, consistency and using your head. Each race will be a little bit different. For those who have done it, they have a little bit of an advantage you could say, just having done it, but it is not exactly the same with the stages and the extra added bonus points that play a big part in the results in the points this year so far. It will just be something new, and we will all experience it together for the first time.”
How would you describe your regular season?
“Yeah, there was two sides of it, really. We would be on or we would be off, and not necessarily from a pace standpoint, but just executing and having clean days versus having catastrophic days. I would say if it was all sunshine and roses all day long, you feel good about what you do, but it is important to have a degree of toughness. A degree of understanding how to deal with losses, how to deal with failures, whatever it is. We’ve been on both sides of it this year.”
So, is this a chance at a reset?
“I don’t think we need to flip a switch or do anything. We are going to be rolling back into tracks where we have won at, where we have led laps at, where we are extremely fast at. Certainly, you could say there is a question mark there at Gateway. There is one at Martinsville, but that doesn’t mean we are going to go there and be bad. We know that we have more room to improve. I’ve looked at the other track types that we visited the first time this year – we made good gains at tracks that we weren’t happy where we were a year ago or a previous year. All things seem to be going the right direction at the right time. It would have been great to hang on to the points lead. It would have been great to not fight the things that we did, but as much as the bad finishes were hard on our standing in the points, we learned a lot from it and with this Chase, the gap is gone and we are seeded and we are going to go now.”
So, it doesn’t feel like it has gotten away from you guys?
“I mean, the regular season did for sure. We have the Chase. We have the championship. Yes, when you look at having the best year possible, you want to check all of the boxes. You want to win a lot of races. You don’t want to throw races away. If it was a season long format, those bad days really, really sting more, but yeah, everything resets where it is now, and I think we understand how important it is to manage our races and we understand how tough it can be to be on the other side of it.”
Does your experience show that no matter how big someone’s lead is you can chase them down in this format?
“Yeah, absolutely. I think whether it was how we were looking at the start of the year, or hearing it from other drivers or other people in the media on their perspective on how our year started out, I mean, it certainly seemed like if someone got ahead, how do you catch them, but we just saw that kind of play out naturally this year. Points can be lost and gained in huge chunks if you perform at a very high level or perform at a very extremely bad level or have really bad days. Again, it will be really interesting to see how it plays out. With the previous format, if you get 70 points up, you are feeling super good and feeling like you are in a great spot, but you can lose 77 of them in a race, so it is all very interesting to keep that in mind.”
Do you think that debunks this theory that you need to be in the top-five or six to have a real shot at the title?
“Anything is possible, but when you look at who has had the speed, a lot of the cars and teams that have had the speed at the tracks that make up the majority of the Chase are kind of in that top six. There are others that you sit there, and wonder are they are going to finally hit it and get it right. I know that Kyle (Larson) has been on that winless streak, but they have had speed. That is one that if things come together and they clean up, they could be in that mix, but it does get harder the further back you are. You are starting in a hole. You need more things to go your way, but whether it’s seeing how many spots Joey (Logano) climbed up late, the swing on the points side from the start of the year for Chase Briscoe, how Christopher (Bell) climbed back in the mix, Denny (Hamlin) going from where he was to where he ended the regular season, you can see a lot of movement in just a short period of time. I think everyone will do their best to not let the bad days happen, but over the course of 10 races, there are so many laps ran, a lot of pit stops, there are a lot of restarts, cautions, things are just not going to go as plan, that is what is racing is.”
Which format has more pressure?
“This one, for sure. You don’t get bailed out at all. We set our points to what they are now, and you won’t get saved by a round. Yes, you won’t get eliminated, either, but you are not going to get saved by a reset. If you have two bad races, and win one, hey we survived and we moved to the next round. It is going to be a totally different mindset, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out.”
What has your previous postseason experience taught you about the mental toughness you need?
“I mean, I think for me, I try not to go in with overdue expectations. Try to take this with a clean sheet of paper. It feels more like points racing than elimination up, down, you’ve got to make it, we made it, deep breath. It is going to feel – I think it is going to be more of a tole because the bad moments just matter so much more. You won’t get eliminated, but in a way, you can eliminate yourself with a couple of bad races. It will just be interesting to see how it all plays out. Is everyone going to have it buttoned up every week or are mistakes going to happen and are they really going to be the deciding factor of who is in the mix coming to Homestead.”
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