With rumors swirling, Reddick remains focused on title defense

LAS VEGAS -- The road to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series can be a hard one, but then again, it’s all in how you approach it. For defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Tyler Reddick, the attitude is simple; do your job, do it well and the rest will take care of itself. This season, Reddick has all but locked up the Xfinity regular-season title with the top three national series hitting the track this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. With the playoffs looming and eight races left in the Xfinity Series season, silly season rumors are flying. Reddick happens to be at the center of quite of few of those, a distraction that won’t turn the points leader’s attention from the task at hand: Winning a second consecutive Xfinity Series title. RELATED:  Full Xfinity standings “For me, the only focus is the Xfinity championship," Reddick said. "That other stuff will sort itself out and whenever it comes time for it to be announced, then we will start thinking about it going forward. I’m here to run the Xfinity car and I want to be a Cup driver someday. I can’t let the thought of all the opportunities that could come along cloud what’s right in front of us. That’s to win the Xfinity Series championship.” Reddick currently has four wins on the year, two less than Christopher Bell and Cole Custer. The trio make up the series' "Big Three." Despite having fewer wins, Reddick’s stats are phenomenal for 2019. Out of the 25 races run this year, Reddick has 21 top-10 finishes, 19 of those being top fives; numbers he chalks up to the team mentality and one common theme: fun. “I spend a lot of time with my guys in the shop. We just have a lot of fun, that’s all there is to it. Even on the rough days we still find a way to enjoy it and we get along great as a group.” Reddick says. “We realize it’s a group effort, a team sport and it takes a lot of things to go the right way to get to Victory Lane. Even when someone has a bad day or something goes wrong, it’s not about picking them apart, it’s about picking them back up. We win and lose together. That’s been our mentality." Reddick will try and lock up the regular-season championship for the NASCAR Xfinity Series this Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). He can clinch by earning at least 11 points in the 300-mile event.