KANSAS CITY (September 10, 2023) – Tyler Reddick clinched his spot in the Round of 12 with a stellar final restart to win his second race of the season. It is the third victory for 23XI – with three different drivers – in the last four Kansas Speedway events. Toyota drivers have won the last four Kansas events and seven of the last nine.
In points, Reddick is locked into the next round, and Denny Hamlin is all but advanced as he holds a 49-point advantage over the cutoff. With his top-10 run, Christopher Bell moved back up to the top-10 in points and holds a 13-point advantage. Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace both suffered tire failures during the race and fell below the cutline. Truex is 13th, seven points off the cutoff, while Wallace is 14th, 19 points out going into Bristol.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Kansas Speedway
Race 28 of 36 – 400 miles, 267 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, TYLER REDDICK
2nd, DENNY HAMLIN
3rd, Erik Jones*
4th, Kyle Larson*
5th, Joey Logano*
8th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
14th, TY GIBBS
32nd, BUBBA WALLACE
36th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 MoneyLion Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
Can you talk about the last few laps of that race today?
“Chaos. It was perfect honestly. We had a really, really good MoneyLion Toyota Camry TRD all day long. Everyone at 23XI – when we come here, we mean business. We didn’t have the outright pace that I think Bubba (Wallace) and Denny (Hamlin) had. At times, we were pretty solid, but we were just caught behind them. The caution came, it gave us another opportunity, especially with those cars that stayed out or took two tires.”
When did you feel like you had the race won?
“I got lucky, and I was able to get to the top of (turn) three to get to the inside of Kyle Busch. I was just able to find clean air and was able to carry the momentum onward. It just seemed all day long, when you got beside someone down the frontstretch, this TRD engine would just pull down the straightaways and we would go right by them.”
Second last week, and first today. How good is this race team right now?
“We’ve been great all year long. It just has been a process getting here right. We’ve struggled at times to execute, but we are doing it at the right time.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Yahoo Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
Can you walk us through that last restart?
“Well, the 5 was just laying back so much. I was trying to back up to him. Should have just kind of focused forward probably. It gave the 45 an opportunity to get up there in front of us. Just kind of sleeping on the restart, looking in the rear view instead of looking in the front. Hats off to the Yahoo Camry TRD team, just another really, really fast car, just didn’t need that caution at the end.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DEWALT Perform & Protect Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 8th
Can you talk about your finish?
“We were going to be about eighth or ninth in the end, and we ended up eighth in our DEWALT Camry, so I’ll take it and move on to Bristol.”
Are you frustrated or good with a top-10 in today’s race?
“Ultimately, I expected to be a little more competitive today, so that is a little disappointing, but overall – we scored points in stage one, and to get a top-10, that’s what we needed to do. I wish I had Darlington back, but we will move on to Bristol.”
How do you feel about needing to perform at Bristol?
“We should perform well. Bristol is a place that anything can happen, so it’s going to be dramatic.”
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 36th
Can you tell us what happened?
“Just unfortunate and very unlucky. I took off really tight and I knew something was up, and then cut a right rear. Not really sure what happened, obviously, but it blew in the worst place possible. I hate it for my guys. We had an awesome Bass Pro Toyota Camry. We were going to have a great day, just not sure what we need to do to get some luck here.”
Was there any warning?
“I knew something was up for sure, just didn’t realize it was going to blow the tire out. I felt like the right rear was soft. I was hoping it was going to go down on the straightaway, not going into turn three. Really unfortunate. In hindsight, I guess I should have just pitted, but at that point in time, you just don’t know if the car is just really tight or what’s going on. It’s a real shame. I hate for my team. We had a really, really fast Bass Pro Toyota. I can’t imagine about being this unlucky.”
What do you think this does to your points situation?
“We will find out when today’s over. There is not a thing we can do about it right now.”