Despite being below the cut line heading to the Charlotte Roval, Tyler Reddick is confident in making something happen to advance to the Round of 8.
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Entering the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, Reddick was 10th in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings. He was three points below the cut line.
Reddick had the mindset of surviving Talladega and leaving there no worse than when he entered the race. By finishing 16th in the race and earning a stage point, Reddick leaves Talladega only two points behind Brad Keselowski for the final spot in the Round of 8.
After the race, despite sitting below the cut line, Reddick seems very confident with the position he sits in. "Coming out of here not losing any ground is great," Reddick said. "To be minus two going into a track, I feel like we can really gain some stage points. Feeling really good about it."
Tyler Reddick crashed coming to the finish line but is just two points behind the cutoff. Why he feels good about it. pic.twitter.com/AnreHwlowv
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 2, 2023
Reddick has every right to be confident heading to the Charlotte Roval, since he only sits two points behind Keselowski. This season, Keselowski has not scored a top 10 finish on a road course, while Reddick has scored a win at Circuit of the Americas and top 10s at Indianapolis Grand Prix and Watkins Glen. Reddick has an average finish of 14.2 on the road courses compared with Keselowski's average finish of 22.0 on the road courses.
The key for Reddick will be scoring as many stage points as possible. Qualifying will be a major factor in finishing up front in Stage 1. In four of the five road course races this season, Reddick has qualified second. If Reddick can start up front again, it is very possible he will maximize his day with as many stage points as possible.
Reddick enters the Charlotte Roval two points behind Keselowski, but all the signs point toward Reddick passing Keselowski in points and making it to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
