Kyle Petty calls Tyler Reddick a 'true playoff contender' after Kansas win

Kyle Petty left Kansas last weekend believing Tyler Reddick is a true championship contender moving forward.

The 23XI Racing star grabbed the race by the horns and refused to let go, riding it all the way to Victory Lane when it was all said and done. Officially locked into the Round of 12 following the win, Reddick can run a stress-free race at Bristol on Saturday.

The real work begins the following weekend, and Petty believe Reddick and his team are cut out for the challenge.

“We see Tyler Reddick grab this race and say, ‘This one’s mine. This No. 45 car is going back to Victory Lane, just like Kurt Busch did. We’re taking this car back to Victory Lane.’ So congratulations to Tyler Reddick,” Petty said. “I think he’s establishing himself as a true playoff contender.”

Alas, that’s why Reddick was brought to 23XI Racing. Many believe in his talent, and the group-think was once he put it all together, he’d be a force to be reckoned with in the Cup Series. It looks like he’s officially arrived.

Time will tell how far Tyler Reddick can ride his momentum in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, but with Michael Jordan watching over his shoulder, we’re not going to doubt his chances at lifting the trophy when it’s all said and done.

Kyle Petty breaks down trouble for playoff drivers at Kansas

Continuing, Kyle Petty watched in amazement as Kansas caused a stir in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs on Sunday afternoon.

From Martin Truex Jr. to Bubba Wallace, some of the top drivers in the sport had immense trouble at the track. As we’ve learned since NASCAR implemented this system for the Playoffs, one bad race could spell the end of your season, and that’s the barrel multiple drivers are staring down at the moment.

“The rest of the field, if you had a P by your name for Playoffs, it meant plenty of trouble,” Petty started. “We saw Martin Truex cut a tire early in the race. We saw Bubba Wallace look like he was going to dominate the race, cut a tire later on. We saw the No. 24, William Byron, a guy that I thought was just going to dominate the entire Playoffs, spin on the backstretch. 

“The No. 20 car of Christopher Bell, and the No. 12 car of Ryan Blaney, have trouble on pit road, and have to recover. So there’s so many things that happened to those guys.”

Even though four drivers are on the outside looking in at the moment, they’ll still have a shot at moving to the next round, with Bristol taking place over the weekend. However, Petty relented that it’s incredibly hard to gain points at the moment, and believes the writing could be on the wall.