Tyler Reddick won't blame Daytona 500 struggles on luck, dishes on Ross Chastain, Netflix

Tyler Reddick comes into this year’s Daytona 500 with, well, one of the worst records in the Great American Race of anyone in the field.

To put it mildly.

But while many NASCAR drivers would point to bad luck, especially having been swept up in four wrecks in just five starts, Reddick chooses to believe fortune has nothing to do with superspeedway finishes.

“I’ve really grown to appreciate it more when I’ve kinda grown out of that mindset of thinking luck plays into it,” Reddick explained via phone interview this week. “There’s a lot of preparation into it. It’s a big chess match. You make so many decisions throughout the race that can seal your fate in a good way or a bad way.

“It’s something I’ve grown to like. There’s no secret that (Denny Hamlin) has become really good at it. (Ryan) Blaney has gotten really good at it, and those guys don’t end up in those situations by luck.”

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It’s almost refreshing to hear Reddick profess his enjoyment of pack racing while so many others express their disdain for it. Lord knows, he has plenty of reason to.

In those five Daytona 500 starts, Reddick has yet to finish better than 27^th, with an average finish of 31.2. That includes just two laps led, both in 2021. His Daytona International Speedway history looks much better with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 factored in — he finished fifth in 2021 and second in 2022, and he won a season-opener in both the Craftsman Truck Series (2015) and the Xfinity Series (2018).

“I feel like the more you treat it like it’s completely in your control, the better your chances are going to be when you get there,” he surmised.

Of course, when it comes to superspeedways, it’s not all in a driver’s control. Fortunately for Reddick, he’s surrounded by some of the best in the business at navigating the draft.

Hamlin, who along with Michael Jordan is the co-owner of Reddick’s 23XI Racing team, has three Daytona 500 wins to his credit. Teammate Bubba Wallace has the best career average finish (12.9) at Daytona among all active drivers with at least two starts.

But superspeedways are one thing. And a small thing compared to the big picture.

Together, the three helped the young organization take another massive step forward, with Reddick making the Round of 8 and Wallace reaching the Round of 12 in his first Cup Series playoff appearance. The two finished sixth and 10^th respectively in the final points standings. All of that in Reddick’s first year with 23XI, in the team's third year of existence.

“I think for us to get our cars sixth-through-10^th in points in that third year, that was a really good year,” Reddick said. “I don’t think it’s a stretch to say we were ahead of schedule with the performances and the points finishes we had.”

Tyler Reddick hasn’t spoken to Ross Chastain since dustup at the Clash

Seemingly everyone was mad at someone by the end of the Clash at the Coliseum on Saturday night.

For Reddick, it was someone mad at him.

Ross Chastain smooshed Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota into the wall after the checkered flag fell, unhappy with a move Reddick made in the final lap as everyone avoided a spinning car.

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Afterward, the two were interviewed by Fox’s Bob Pockrass and both indicated a discussion would be had. As of Monday morning, Reddick said that talk had not yet occurred.

“We haven’t talked about it yet,” Reddick said. “Immediately following what had happened, I was a bit confused as to what he was upset about, but in the hours following the race, thankfully there were plenty of angles to see what had happened.

"Now that I have a good understanding of it, me and him will talk at some point before the 500 and either get on the same page or agree to disagree.”

Tyler Reddick on the NASCAR Netflix doc and that scene

Along with Hamlin, Wallace and several others, Reddick was featured heavily in the recently released Netflix documentary, “NASCAR: Full Speed” which followed playoff drivers down the stretch run in 2023.

The show offers insight into the lives of Cup Series drivers, including time with Reddick’s son Beau and fiancée Alexa DeLeon. But it’s another moment in the show that may loom as Reddick’s most infamous.

After the fall race at the Charlotte Roval, Reddick is seen trying to hug a pit crew member with yellow stains on the front of his driver’s suit, seemingly answering an age-old question about drivers and bathroom protocol.

“You never know what they’re going to choose to put in the show and it was part of the day,” Reddick explained. “It was hot in the car, I was having to hydrate and I guess I overhydrated.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Tyler Reddick talks Daytona 500, Ross Chastain, NASCAR Netflix doc