NASCAR: 23XI Racing avoids possible disaster with Hendrick decision

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As a seasoned gamer who’s played countless sim races over the years, I can tell you that the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are like the final stretch of a 24-hour endurance race – intense, nerve-wracking, and full of unexpected twists and turns. The drama unfolding at Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval was a perfect example of this.

Initially, Joey Logano of Team Penske was knocked out of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs following the race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on Sunday afternoon. However, Logano’s team, numbered 22, managed to survive the elimination round.

23XI Racing‘s Tyler Reddick managed to secure the eighth place in the final round, just ahead of Logano, but when it came to overall points, Logano’s team edged out Reddick’s by a single point, despite Reddick outscoring Logano by four points.

Reddick clinched the regular-season title and earned an extra 15 points in the playoffs due to this victory, while team No. 45 added only 10 additional playoff points with their second-place finish, trailing behind Kyle Larson’s No. 5 team from Hendrick Motorsports.

Larson failed to secure the regular season championship himself because he chose to race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the rain-delayed Indy 500 instead of competing at the Charlotte oval in the Coca-Cola 600. Reddick clinched the title with a one-point advantage, and the points earned by Justin Allgaier while standing in for Larson at Charlotte were enough to secure the regular season owner championship for the No. 5 team over the No. 45 team.

So the No. 45 team was initially left out of the round of 8 following Sunday’s race.

As it turned out, my joy at Alex Bowman’s victory in the race was short-lived when his No. 48 Chevrolet got disqualified later due to weight issues. That technical glitch worked in our favor though, as his team’s points loss bumped them below the cut line, which ultimately secured a spot for us in the round of 8 of the owner playoffs.

Hendrick Motorsports announced their intention to investigate the circumstances and determine if an appeal was warranted. In the end, they chose not to appeal, thereby ensuring the No. 45 team’s progression to the semi-finals, a position they hadn’t originally secured.

23XI Racing avoided a potentially chaotic scenario when Hendrick Motorsports opted not to appeal their disqualification. Although the appeal wouldn’t have guaranteed a reversal of the decision, it would have kept the possibility alive. This could have meant that the No. 45 team, who were initially out, might have been reinstated only to be ousted again due to circumstances they had no control over.

Rather than advancing due to ownership contests, team No. 45 progresses further in the playoffs. Luckily for Reddick, he was already slated to proceed in the driver playoffs following his successful effort of outperforming Logano on the racetrack.

Reddick currently finds himself third in the race standings for points, with a 10-point lead over the threshold for the Championship 4 contenders. Meanwhile, his team, number 45, is also positioned third in the owner standings, but they’re only five points ahead of the cutoff for the Championship 4, thanks to the difference in playoff points that was previously mentioned.

Kick off the Round of 8 for the South Point 400 this coming Sunday, October 20, with live action starting at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Tune in from Las Vegas Motor Speedway! Beginning a free trial of FuboTV is your ticket to catching all the excitement!

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2024-10-16 16:02