It’s no secret that Tyler Reddick is a talented stock car driver.
That’s backed up by him winning the Xfinity Series championship each of the past two years.
It also shouldn’t be surprising that Matt Kenseth knows talent when he sees it.
A day after Kenseth finished 10th in his first Cup start of the year, he was asked for his assessment of Richard Childress Racing’s rookie driver, who placed seventh in his first Cup start at the track “Too Tough To Tame.”
Kenseth recalled his thoughts on Reddick during last year’s Xfinity finale in Miami.
“I don’t know (Reddick) at all, but I watched that race with my dad and it was just incredible driving,” Kenseth said. “He went and won that race, and he was the difference maker in that. A lot of times, everybody is pretty good when you get to this level, and you feel like it’s more about the car, positioning, and a lot of different stuff. But when I watched that race at Homestead, he’s just incredibly talented. Especially at those tracks where you have to run high and get all that extra out of it, and just laying it on that line without making a mistake.”
Darlington is one of the tracks that would fall under Kenseth’s description.
“A lot of people can lay it on that line but typically or eventually make a mistake,” Kenseth said. (Reddick) really impressed me watching (the Miami) race, so I can’t say it really surprised me when I saw how fast he can run. Yesterday, particularly when he had nobody in his way in that top grove, he really got that working well.”
The praise from the 2003 Cup champion eventually found its way to Reddick on Monday afternoon.
Wow, i don’t know what to say! I’ve always wanted to race against @mattkenseth and it was awesome to have the opportunity to race with him Sunday! Appreciate the kind words! https://t.co/tldmrjn3Hs
— Tyler Reddick (@TylerReddick) May 18, 2020
Reddick’s seventh-place finish is his second top 10 through seven Cup starts dating back to last season. He looked to be on his way to a top-10 finish in the March 8 race at Phoenix before he was taken out in a crash (his third DNF for a wreck).
After Sunday’s race, Reddick was a guest on NASCAR America at Home, where he was asked about what areas he’s looking to improve in moving forward.
“The first area for me that I think of is trying to maximize (pit road) every single time, being as consistent as I can getting in and out of the box,” Reddick said. “From there, working on the mid-race adjustments. I’m used to only running the 300, 200, 250-mile races. Now we’re going further, and I’ve got to continue to keep adjusting on our car because the track’s going to continue to change further past what I’m used to.”