NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick (45) Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports

The NASCAR title contender that no one is talking about

The first round of NASCAR's championship race saw regular-season champ Martin Truex Jr. struggle and Denny Hamlin heat up.

Hamlin is now tied with Kyle Larson and William Byron as a betting favorite to win the championship, but it's one of the drivers whose car he co-owns that everyone is sleeping on.

Tyler Reddick has flown under the radar all season long, due to inconsistent results that have often not been his own fault. He was plagued during the regular season by a series of blown tires, unavoidable accidents, and pit crew blunders that limited him to only one win, seven top-fives and 11 top-10s in the first 26 races.

Now his No. 45 team seems to be executing much better, with a runner-up at Darlington to open the playoffs followed by a win at Kansas. Even better for Reddick is how well the upcoming slate of tracks favors him.

The Round of 12 includes Texas Motor Speedway this coming weekend, where Reddick won in 2022. It also includes a road course, the Charlotte Roval, a track type where Reddick is arguably the best driver in the field. He should have a great chance to win or at the very least advance on points.

The Round of 8 sees action at Las Vegas and Homestead, two intermediate tracks where Reddick and his 23XI Racing team should be incredibly fast. He's been successful at Homestead in the past, winning back-to-back Xfinity Series championships there in 2018 and 2019 and having standout Cup performances in 2020 and 2021.

This should give Reddick a great opportunity to race his way into the championship round at Phoenix, where he finished third earlier this season. If he can make it there, he'll be a dangerous man.

Reddick is tied for only the fifth-best title odds right now, grouped with Kyle Busch and Chris Buescher at +900. However, his performance has been much closer to that of the favorites tier consisting of Larson, Byron, Hamlin and Truex Jr., and he is peaking at the right time with the schedule working in his favor.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Brad Keselowski breaks 110-race winless streak at Darlington
Pacers blow out Knicks on Mother’s Day, even series at 2-2
Hawks GM 'shocked' that his team won the NBA Draft Lottery
Prolific former Brewers, A's slugger announces retirement
Watch: Padres star passes father on all-time home runs list
Saints to sign veteran offensive lineman
Smother's Day: Pacers shut down Knicks in first half of Game 4
Flyers goaltender suspended from international play for three years
Pistons make wrong kind of history at NBA Draft Lottery
Watch: Pacers C Myles Turner makes absurd three-pointer in first quarter vs. Knicks
Hawks win 2024 NBA Draft Lottery
Giants place key outfielder on injured list
Broncos release former Super Bowl champion WR
Novak Djokovic thinks water bottle incident may have played role in surprising loss
Steelers agree to deal with veteran CB
Bruins captain out for Game 4 vs. Panthers
Veteran WR announces retirement from NFL
Mavericks come from behind to down Thunder, take 2-1 series lead
Stars continue road dominance with Game 3 win over Avalanche
Watch: Paul Skenes wastes no time showing why Pirates drafted him No. 1 overall