BRISTOL, Tenn. – Tyler Reddick was a dirt-racing runner-up for the second consecutive year at Bristol Motor Speedway after the yellow and checkered flags waved Sunday night.
This year, the 23XI Racing driver was hunting Christopher Bell’s back bumper in the closing laps rather than trying to defend the lead as he did in 2022. He didn’t spin in the final corner this time around, avoiding a replay from when Chase Briscoe sent the duo sliding sideways and ultimately costing Reddick the win a season ago. But the disappointment was evident Sunday as he stood on pit road, the dust quite literally settling while Bell celebrated his triumph.
“I’ve really wanted to win a NASCAR dirt race for a very long time,” Reddick said. “So second is not a bad day, but I hope we get another shot at this because I really want to win here or anywhere that we put NASCAR stock cars on dirt.”
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Reddick was left to wonder what could have been had he and his No. 45 team opted for a different play. He and teammate Bubba Wallace stayed out during the Stage 1 break, placing the two at the front of the field along with Spire Motorsports’ Ty Dillon.
That meant Reddick had to pit during the Stage 2 break at Lap 151 after winning the segment. While most competitors followed suit, nine others – including Bell – stayed out.
“I just wish we would’ve stayed more on strategy with the cars that were like … Bell and those guys,” Reddick said. “We kind of put ourselves in a little bit of a box. I really thought the track was gonna age, so I made the decision to stay out and then take the tires later.
“I think it could’ve worked, but I didn’t do a good job on the restart to start Stage 3, lost some spots, got behind some of the other cars that were on those newer tires.”
The ultimate result was Reddick’s fourth top-five finish in the past five NASCAR Cup Series races, a stretch that includes a victory at Circuit of The Americas. A late spin resulted in a 16th-place result at Richmond, but the team has found momentum since finishes of 39th (Daytona) and 34th (Fontana) to open the season.
“We’re learning a lot,” Reddick said. “Richmond was a bump in the road. We just missed it a little bit and continue fighting some little things detail-wise on the car, but that’s part of it. That’s part of the process.
“As long as we continue to learn from these things, I’d rather be fighting them now than in the playoffs.”
Still, the sting of coming so close on the dirt yet again lingers. Count him among those in favor of returning to the soil in 2024 as part of the yet-to-be-announced schedule.
“Until I win it, yeah,” Reddick laughed. “I really want to win it.”