NASCAR: Tyler Reddick wins regular season title, but his team doesn’t

NASCAR: Tyler Reddick wins regular season title, but his team doesn't

As a seasoned gamer who’s spent countless hours navigating virtual racetracks and NASCAR simulations, I can’t help but feel a sense of both admiration and frustration watching the real-life drama unfold in this year’s NASCAR Cup Series. The nail-biting finish at Darlington between Tyler Reddick and Kyle Larson was akin to a high-stakes final lap in my favorite racing game, with every second ticking by like an eternity.

On Sunday night at Darlington Raceway, during the Cook Out Southern 500, Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing maintained his points lead and clinched the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular season championship by a mere point, edging out Kyle Larson from Hendrick Motorsports with a score of 860 to 859.

If Larson had raced in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May instead of missing that race, he would have been crowned the regular season champion because he holds the advantage over Reddick, having won four races during the regular season compared to Reddick’s two.

Larson chose to stay at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 108th Indy 500 instead of participating in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte due to a prolonged rain delay. Consequently, he missed out on the race. A downpour at Charlotte later caused the event to end prematurely, and unfortunately, Larson didn’t have a chance to compete.

As a gamer stepping into another’s shoes during a rain break, I should clarify that points wouldn’t be on my board because the original racer, Justin Allgaier, was the one who initiated the race.

As a result, Reddick still would have won the regular season championship by a single point.

In that particular race, I managed to earn points for the #5 team owned by Larson, even though I’m a full-time racer in the Xfinity Series and don’t qualify for Cup Series points myself.

In the end, Allgaier came in 13th position during that race, earning 24 points for team number 5. This means that team 5 outperformed Reddick’s team 45 by a margin of 23 points (883 to 860) in the regular season owner championship, securing an additional 15 playoff points. Team 45 also received an extra 10 points.

On the driver’s side, Reddick gained an additional 15 playoff points due to his strong performance during the regular season, whereas Larson earned an extra 10 points as a result of finishing second.

Put another way, a 10-point lead change would be like winning two races in succession, as a five-point advantage equals one race victory.

In simple terms, Larson has triumphed in four races and ten segments, accumulating thirty playoff points. This places him at the top of the standings before the playoffs begin, with a total of forty points. On the other hand, Reddick has claimed victory in two races and three stages, earning himself thirteen playoff points, which positions him third in the rankings as the playoffs approach, with twenty-eight points in his possession.

Team No. 5 is slated to kick off with 45 playoff points on their owner’s side, whereas Team No. 45 begins with 23. Much like Larson, Team No. 5 holds the top position, and similar to Reddick, Team No. 45 remains in third place, albeit with fewer playoff points accumulated.

Start watching the thrilling NASCAR Cup Series playoffs this Sunday, September 8, with the Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart. The race will air live on USA Network from Atlanta Motor Speedway starting at 3:00 p.m. ET. Sign up for a free trial of FuboTV today and never miss a moment of the excitement!

2024-09-02 16:02