Tyler Reddick admits ‘it was fun to beat’ boss Denny Hamlin at Kansas

Tyler Reddick was the first driver to win a regular season race for Toyota in 2023 and became the first to win a postseason race last Sunday.

Tyler Reddick admits ‘it was fun to beat’ boss Denny Hamlin at Kansas

Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick (Via IMAGO)

23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick marked a team milestone at Kansas for Michael Jordan’s NASCAR outfit last Sunday in Kansas. He became the first driver ever to secure multiple wins for the team in a single season and the first driver ever to make it to the round of 12 of post-season with the Toyota side.

Tyler Reddick won the race, out-racing his boss, Denny Hamlin, in the No:11 Joe Gibbs Racing Camry on the final restart. Hamlin was undoubtedly the fastest driver on the day and had the best car, but the solid overtime restart of the No:45 driver was enough for the win. After the race, Reddick admitted that it was fun to win the race over his boss.

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“I know that definitely talking with them, he was, I think, better than I was at the end of the race. It’s just circumstances played out in a way to where I was able to get a better restart. But certainly, it is fun to beat the boss,” Reddick said in his post-race interview (H&T: Protalk)

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It wasn’t the first time Hamlin had been defeated by his drivers and forced to settle for p2. In the same race last year, Bubba Wallace scored the win, while the No:11 Camry secured the P2. Hamlin pointed out after the race that losing to his driver despite having the best car was not an enjoyable moment.

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Tyler Reddick wants an all-Toyota championship four-race

Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin
Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin (Credits: @23xiracing/Twitter)

The 2023 season has witnessed Toyota teams fielding strong cars every weekend, being contenders for wins, and sharing information among the team, which played a huge role in being solid in the races. Reddick wants to see him alongside JGR’s Martin Truex Jr., Christopher Bell, and Hamlin in the finale at Phoenix and fight for the championship.  

“Obviously, I think he’s got a couple more playoff points still banking on, but him, Martin [Truex], and Christopher [Bell], we all really share a lot of information back and forth, and ideally, we’d love to fill the Championship 4 with Toyotas and may the best man win,” Reddick said.

“But it’s a long way out, but we do a lot of great work together, and I’m really glad we have the teamwork and the partnership that we do because when we get to Talladega a little later on, us being able to work with each other will be very beneficial,” Reddick added.

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