NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick. Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Tyler Reddick claws his way into Round of 12 with gritty performance

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Oct 13, 2024 10:22 PM ET

The two words that have epitomized Tyler Reddick's 2024 season? Toughness and grit.

Those characteristics carried Reddick to a 10th-place finish and the regular season championship in the Southern 500 on Sept. 1, despite Reddick becoming ill inside his car at the toughest track on the circuit.

On Sunday, it proved to be those characteristics that carried Reddick from the outside looking in to a berth in the penultimate round of the NASCAR Playoffs, as a resilient 11th-place run gave Reddick the edge he needed over Joey Logano to advance.

Of course, Alex Bowman's disqualification nullified Logano's elimination, but Reddick's incredible, superhuman effort deserves to be talked about forever.

After getting loose and slamming into Denny Hamlin in turn 7 early in the race, Reddick — with the help of a timely caution and a commendable effort from his pit crew — stormed through the field over the race's final green flag stint.

HUGE PROBLEMS FOR TYLER REDDICK, SLIDING INTO DENNY HAMLIN!#NASCARPlayoffs | NBC pic.twitter.com/PXl7bI9Qne
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 13, 2024

While he ruffled a few feathers — most notably those of Daniel Hemric — during his late race charge, it paid off, as he initially finished four points ahead of Logano for the eighth and final transfer spot.

If Tyler Reddick advances in the #NASCARPlayoffs, he might owe Daniel Hemric a gift card or two.

Reddick looked like he was about to spin. pic.twitter.com/144zRxO88P
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 13, 2024

A Stage 1 victory and the extra playoff points Reddick earned for winning the aforementioned regular season title ended up being the difference in his postseason fate.

"I just asked how many cars I needed to pass and where I was to the cut line," Reddick told Frontstretch.com regarding his late charge. "I focused on running the best laps possible and trying to be aggressive and timing the passes. If I could get within a car length of somebody in the hairpin, I could get to the inside and put us both in a bad spot. I was able to make passes that way."

"[The car] had the pace there at the end" — Tyler Reddick's late-race charge moves him to the next round of the #NASCAR playoffs.@soundlink_trent caught up with Reddick after the race: pic.twitter.com/mmSVOSKfzr
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) October 14, 2024

Reddick's race certainly wasn't the prettiest, but it got the job done.

For the second consecutive season, Reddick has advanced to the Round of 8. Now, he has a chance to go a step further and bring home 23XI Racing's first NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

More must-reads: