Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing earned the pole position for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ROVAL on Saturday. This achievement marks Reddick’s second pole of the 2023 season and his 11th career pole, reinforcing his competitive presence on the track.
Reddick Reflects on Track Conditions and Tire Behavior During Practice and Qualifying
During practice and qualifying, Reddick noted the unique challenge presented by heavy rubber buildup on the Charlotte ROVAL surface, which thickened off the racing line. He compared the track’s behavior to a previous experience during a tire test at Watkins Glen earlier this year, where similar tire wear patterns emerged but had not manifested so intensely during official races until now.
“Yeah, it was something. I feel like when we raced at Sonoma in the past, we’d have the high fall off, but the track certainly took you know, rubber, but a lot of rubber and rubber buildup off-line too. I feel like I’ve seen this before. Probably, when I did the Watkins Glen tire test, I believe it’s on this tire combination that we have been racing this year. It did a lot of that at that tire test, and we really haven’t seen it to the level that it did today. So yeah, the way it acted today was somewhat reminiscent of that test, but obviously, when we returned to race, it was much different, it wasn’t, you had some fall off, but it wasn’t rubbering the whole track in, kind of like it was. So, yeah, this is, I guess more in line with what I expected this tire to do, at a lot of the racetracks we go to, when I participated in that tire test, but it had just hasn’t done it quite to this level until today.”
Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry XSE driver
Challenges Ahead: Competing Against Shane van Gisbergen’s Strong Pace
Looking ahead to the race, Reddick acknowledged the difficulty of matching Shane van Gisbergen’s pace, particularly in the long runs where tire degradation plays a critical role. He expressed confidence in his car’s handling but emphasized the need to analyze and adjust the setup to close the significant gap van Gisbergen holds. Despite the challenge, Reddick welcomed it as a test of his team’s resilience and strategy.
“I think what you would define a long run – the long run seems like it comes quick with the way these tires go away. I believe he was the standout in that regard, on long run pace, so, I will try to look at what I’m doing with the car. We’ll try to look at what we can change on the car to see what more we can kind of do to help that. Outside of that, I thought my car handled pretty well over the course of the long run. We just have to just look through everything and see if there’s anything more there that we can find to help us. I mean, I think we’re okay when you look at the field minus the 88 (Shane van Gisbergen), but yeah, Shane’s obviously very good at what he does, he’s proven that this year in other years with this car. For us, we’ve got to kind of figure out how we can close that gap. It’s a pretty big one, but we’re up for that challenge.”
Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry XSE driver
Impact of Tire Packs on Racing Lines and On-Track Dynamics
Reddick also provided insight into the placement of tire packs on the ROVAL, noting that their positioning aims to keep drivers more consistently on the racetrack. He mentioned that last year’s race featured some corner cutting that these tire placements now discourage, which could alter race tactics, especially during close competition where space is tight. Although some drivers have made contact with the tire packs recently, they have not caused major damage, but increased physical racing contact is expected when competitors navigate the course side by side.
“Turn seven’s, you know it’s there. I think in in the race last year, drivers and cars were really cutting that corner quite a bit. So, it keeps us more on the racetrack, I think with how much this tire wears away, keeping us off the paint over there is probably a good thing. I guess on the front chicane here, in the past, you’re able to really jump over that if you needed to, and that’s kind of taken that away. We kind of saw it, I think Kyle Busch made contact with it. A couple others did, and it didn’t destroy their car, it didn’t go flying. So, I think in the race – the intent of it was to keep us more on the racetrack, but it’ll be interesting to see when we’re two-by-two and we’ve got to work together to kind of get through a corner. We’re going to have less room, so, I expect more contact.”
Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry XSE driver
Strategy Adjustments Under Consideration Due to Tire Performance and Standings
With tire degradation appearing more severe than previous years, many teams including Reddick’s are reassessing race strategies. Because current standings place him further back in points compared to prior years, existing tactical plans have shifted drastically. Reddick anticipates that conserving tires and being prepared for late-race cautions will be crucial for success, given the significant wear rates observed in qualifying and practice.
“That’s how we played it the last two years, but we weren’t quite as far back on points as we are right now, going into tomorrow’s race. So, I think everybody that had a plan, an idea on the strategy for this race just had it completely ripped in half and all the teams are now looking at, you know what the fall off was like today and refiguring what the strategy’s going to look like. I would imagine that tires are going to be important to have late if there’s a caution based on what we saw today.”
Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry XSE driver
Implications for the Charlotte NASCAR Event and Reddick’s Prospects
Tyler Reddick’s pole at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL gives him a strategic advantage at a track where tire management and precision driving remain paramount. His detailed observations on the track’s tire wear and race dynamics provide a glimpse into how carefully teams must balance speed with tire conservation. Facing a strong competitor like Shane van Gisbergen, the race could become a closely contested battle of driver skill and team strategy. Observers will closely watch how Reddick’s team adapts to the challenging conditions and whether he can translate pole position into a race day victory.
