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The last race in Las Vegas was interesting and unique for many reasons. Tyler Reddick was one of the key players in the race and seemed poised for a great result. However, this talented driver flipped and rolled across the track at one point. A lot of things didn’t go in his favor.
Denny Hamlin, a well-known name in the NASCAR scene and someone who has been waiting for years to win a championship decided to reflect on the race during his podcast. He suggested that there might have been a way for Reddick to avoid the wreck. As an experienced NASCAR driver, Hamlin has often found himself in similar situations, so he certainly has some insights on how to handle such challenges correctly.
“A rule of thumb I found is that if you want to make a move three-wide high, you need to get established three-wide probably at least by three-quarters of the way through the corner,” Denny Hamlin said, as reported by On3.
“That allows time for the spotters to tell the 19 (Martin Truex Jr.) and the 9 (Chase Elliott), ‘Hey, you’re now three-wide.’ We’ve already started gassing up halfway through the corner or probably at the 40 percent mark of the corner, we’re already accelerating. We’re wide open, we’re trying to accelerate off the corner."
Denny Hamlin explained that when racing, especially on a mile-and-a-half track, trying to change direction late in a corner is nearly impossible. He pointed out that once a driver is committed to their line, it’s too late to lift off the throttle. If a driver wants to attempt going three-wide, they need to make that move earlier in the corner; waiting until the last moment doesn’t allow enough time for any adjustments, leading to potential wrecks.
The 43-year-old NASCAR driver expected that Reddick would act in a different way, thus making his job easier, but Reddick made a mistake this time, and could not get anything more out of this situation.
Tyler Reddick reacts
After the race, Tyler Reddick reflected on the incident. The 28-year-old stressed that he needed to be a bit more aggressive at certain moments. He recognized that he had a great opportunity in front of him and wanted to take full advantage of it.
“You have to be aggressive on the restart. It is hard to pass after a while."-Reddick said.
28-year-old recognized that by the time he realized he was in trouble, Truex had started to slide, and Elliott was moving up, leaving him with no room to maneuver. He stressed that he should have decided to play it safer earlier, rather than sticking to his instinctive aggressive style, which led to the incident. However, racing always brings an extra level of passion, desire, and hunger for victory, so such moves can sometimes be expected. Reddick’s immense drive led to a huge problem, but he believes that experiences like these can serve as valuable lessons for both himself and others.
Reddick expressed disappointment, acknowledging that his car, a Jordan Brand Toyota Camry, had the potential to be competitive throughout the race. Looking ahead, he mentioned his determination to perform well at Homestead, a track where he has previously succeeded.
Denny Hamlin on Chase Elliott
The well-known NASCAR driver didn't forget to mention Chase Elliott, who was also part of the wreck involving Reddick, as well as Cindric, Blaney, and Keselowski. In the end, Elliott had to settle for a P33 finish. He’s not in a great position, as he needs two phenomenal races to progress further, which many believe is a nearly impossible task. Denny Hamlin emphasized that Elliott needs to make a lot of changes, as the current situation is far from ideal. Hamlin described how things looked from his perspective, especially regarding Elliott’s performance.
“Chase Elliott, we talked about his points position, he’s in the cellar. Not good. He was definitely kind of an innocent bystander. It looks like he — you know, watching the beginning of the race, he was coming to the front pretty quickly, and I saw after the race he was pretty happy with his car before that crash. He had got the track position. He didn’t qualify well, but he was making it up rather quickly."- Denny Hamlin said.
It will be interesting to follow the races in the coming weeks and get answers as to who really has the highest quality at this moment and of course, the best car with which he can achieve great results.
There are many who can impress in the coming weeks. Will it be Elliott, Reddick or Hamlin?
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