Tyler Reddick has revealed some strategies employed by Bubba Wallace against Denny Hamlin.
Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, and Bubba Wallace (Via IMAGO)
23XI Racing is a rapidly growing team in the NASCAR Cup series. Co-owned by a former NBA star and a veteran of Joe Gibbs Racing, the team has established themselves as contenders for race wins and are expected to compete for the championship next year.
Denny Hamlin plays a crucial role as the leader at 23XI, while Michael Jordan often takes a back seat due to his other commitments. Hamlin faces various challenges on and off the track as he not only runs his own team but also competes for the championship with Joe Gibbs Racing. This often puts him in a difficult position when racing against his own cars.
Driver Tyler Reddick exploits this situation to his advantage. During a podcast interview with his teammate, Reddick revealed that Wallace takes advantage of Hamlin’s reluctance to wreck his own cars. Hamlin, being a veteran of Joe Gibbs Racing, prefers to avoid damaging his cars unless he is in a desperate situation, as it would cost him money to repair them.
Reddick further explained that there is an unwritten understanding between Toyota drivers when engaging in close battles. They tend to race each other at around 95% intensity instead of going all out at 100%. This mutually benefits them and ensures that they can rely on their TRD teammates for assistance during races.
Toyota currently has eight cars on the grid, and previously they had only six. This gives them an advantage as they have more TRD teammates available to help if needed. However, this does not mean they go easy on each other, as ultimately, all of them are competitive racers with the primary goal of winning races.