Tyler Reddick Says Strategy, Not Practice, Will Decide the NASCAR Darlington Cup Race
Tyler Reddick | Credits- IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire Following a successful outing at the Phoenix Raceway, the new short-track package with more horsepower and a simplified diffuser will be in play once again at the Darlington Raceway on Sunday, making it a Cup Series race worth looking out for. There’s a lot of chatter, on top of that, regarding what exactly would play the biggest role in determining the winner and Tyler Reddick, who qualified No. 1, has a theory.
Reddick, after qualifying, spoke to the press and explained how the increased tire fall-off—a result of the package—would affect track positions. First off, the 23XI Racing driver made it clear that not much could be said about the tire fall-off from the practice session alone, since there is more clean air during practice than during the actual race. Reddick said, “I think once you get more cars out there, there is less good air out there.
And at some point, everyone is going to experience it. On the restarts, having spread out. After the restarts.
” “I do think the strategy piece is going to be really important,” he continued. “In some ways, based on practice, in moments throughout the race, you could spread out a little bit more. But then, when guys hit that light switch and go really tight, that’s when you’ll see guys really start to charge through the field or fall through the field.
” At the end of the day, the practice or qualifying sessions haven’t lent a hand in properly diagnosing what the tire fall-off is going to be like in the actual race. Reddick believes that whichever team is able to guess that right will be the one that outperforms the competition. This involves multiple strategic decisions, like when to pit and when to stay out.