INDIANAPOLIS – For the second-straight week in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Tyler Reddick found himself lamenting a race that he felt got away, but he still left pleased with his team’s overall performance.
Reddick finished second to JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier in Monday’s Lilly Diabetes 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, postponed two days by steady rainfall from the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon.
He actually appeared to be in the catbird’s seat on the last lap, positioned in the wake of Allgaier’s leading car due to the unique aerodynamic package that returned for the second-straight year to IMS in the Xfinity Series, but Reddick couldn’t time his run on the last lap and had to settle for being the bridesmaid in the closest finish at Indianapolis in series history. The margin was .092 of a second.
After climbing from his car, Reddick shook his head in disappointment and explained that he had a chance to go for the win in the closing stages, but didn’t take it at the time.
“The run I needed came together with two laps to go,” Reddick said. “I was unsure of taking it that early, though. I didn’t want to cost Justin or myself a first or second place finish. I wanted it to be off turn four, preferably on the last lap and that way it could be between he and I to get JR Motorsports into victory lane. Unfortunately, I just didn’t get the run I needed on the last lap.
“I really should have taken it with two laps to go, but I just wasn’t sure and I didn’t want to ruin either of our days. I wanted to walk out of here with either a first or a second,” noted Reddick. “Hats off to Justin and the guys, though; they’ve really been clicking it off this year. I’m proud of my team. The last two weeks, we have been getting better finishes. Things are coming together at the right time for us.”
While the aerodynamic package – featuring aero ducts in the front fascia, restrictor plates and a taller rear spoiler – helped Reddick stay with Allgaier on the final lap, he still admitted that he’s not a fan of the changes being used anywhere else besides the historic 2.5-mile oval.
“I have no interest in running it anywhere else,” stressed Reddick. “The racing is good enough on the other 1.5-mile tracks. (At) Michigan, it was a good test but I feel the racing is fine the way it is. it’s hard to make the racing tight when the tires wear out like that.
“When everything is right, it’s spectacular.”
With one race remaining in the regular season before the playoff reset, Reddick finds himself sixth in points, but now has back-to-back podium finishes for the first time all year long.
Those two runs at Darlington and Indianapolis are also his best results since winning at Daytona Int’l Speedway in February, which gives Reddick plenty of reason to be optimistic entering the postseason.
“It feels really good and it feels right where we should be. This is the potential for the team,” said Reddick. “We’ve slipped on weeks where we really should have had a top-five finish or even a potential win. To walk away second here stings, but sometimes that’s what you have to do. If you want to win a race, you can’t throw it all away on the last lap and finish 30th. We’ve got to be smart and hopefully next week at Las Vegas will be all about us.
“All year we’ve had speed, but we’ve never been able to grasp the full potential of a weekend, whether that’s been because of mistakes on pit road or because of mistakes I’ve made,” Reddick continued. “We’ve been fast, but we haven’t been able to put together finishes. These last two weeks have been what this team is all about, though, and that’s executing.
“We have speed … we just have to execute and we’re starting to do that.”
