Tyler Reddick Answers Loudon Setback With Pole-Winning Turnaround

Tyler Reddick did not leave Saturday’s qualifying session with the fastest car by accident. A few hours earlier, the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota had been struggling to find a usable balance around New Hampshire Motor Speedway, leaving the team with more questions than answers. By qualifying, however, Reddick had turned those problems around and secured the pole for Sunday’s Dollar Tree 301.

That kind of swing is significant at Loudon. The 1.058-mile oval doesn’t offer drivers much room to hide when the car isn’t handling properly, and the lack of banking makes even small balance problems hard to overcome. Reddick now has the best starting position in the field, but the bigger challenge will be proving that Saturday’s speed can survive the much longer demands of Sunday.

A Bad Practice Session Forces 23XI Racing To React

Reddick was blunt about his first impression of the car. Practice was “not good for sure.”The No. 45 lacked the overall pace the team expected, while the balance changed enough from one part of the run to another to make the problem difficult to pinpoint. Instead of waiting for the issue to work itself out, crew chief Billy Scott set a deadline.

If the car had not improved by Lap 15, Reddick was coming to pit road. That gave 23XI Racing a chance to start attacking the problem while there was still time to make meaningful changes. The team compared information from its teammates, reviewed tire wear, and went back through previous short-track notes before adjusting the chassis. The response was immediate enough to change the entire outlook of the day.

One Lap Changed Reddick’s Weekend

Qualifying became the first real indication that the work had paid off. Reddick put the No. 45 Toyota at the front of the field, taking a pole that looked far less likely after practice. It was a major turnaround for a team that had spent much of the earlier session trying to understand why the car was not responding the way it needed to.

Yet, Reddick was not treating the pole as proof that the job was finished. New Hampshire has a habit of separating qualifying cars from race cars. A setup that works over one lap can become difficult to manage once the tires wear and traffic enters the equation. That is why Reddick’s focus quickly shifted toward what the car will do over an extended run.

Loudon Will Demand Constant Adjustments

The “Magic Mile” is unlike many of the tracks on the Cup Series schedule. Its turns carry between 2 and 7 degrees of banking, while the straightaways have only 1 degree. No steep banking helps a driver carry the car through a corner when grip begins to disappear. Instead, the driver has to find the balance.

That becomes increasingly difficult as the race progresses. Tire wear changes the way the car rotates, traffic can alter the preferred line, and small handling problems become more noticeable the longer the green-flag run continues. For Reddick, the pole provides an early advantage. Keeping that advantage will require the No. 45 to remain predictable as conditions change.

Sarah Talker Gets Into the Details With Reddick

That technical challenge became the focus of the post-qualifying media session when Sarah Talker of YourNews Media and Total Apex Sports asked Reddick about his entry into Turns 1 and 3. The question focused on whether he could really lean on the flat corners during qualifying or still had to protect the car.

Reddick’s response highlighted why Loudon can become such a difficult race for even the fastest drivers. Qualifying gives him clean air and control over his own line. Race traffic takes that away.

Once other cars are around him, Reddick will have to change where he enters the corner and how aggressively he attacks it. He will also have to account for the loss of grip that comes with tire wear. This is a really difficult track to keep the car working,” Reddick said. That may be the most important takeaway from Saturday. The No. 45 is fast, but it has to remain manageable.

The Race Will Tell The Real Story

Reddick’s qualifying effort solved one problem for 23XI Racing. It did not solve all of them. The team still has to determine how the car will react when the tires begin to fall away, and the field starts running nose-to-tail. Clean air should give Reddick an early advantage, but that advantage can disappear during a restart or when traffic forces him away from the preferred groove.

That is where communication between Reddick and Scott becomes critical. The setup that worked for qualifying may need additional changes during the race, and Reddick’s ability to communicate what the car is doing could be just as important as his ability to drive it.

How Rain Would Change The Equation

Weather could add another variable to an already technical weekend. Reddick has experience dealing with wet conditions at both New Hampshire and Bowman Gray, so a change in weather would not be completely unfamiliar territory. Still, he made it clear that experience does not mean he is hoping for a wet race.

New Hampshire becomes particularly tricky when the surface loses grip because of moisture. The flat corners already require precise braking and throttle control, and damp conditions can make those demands even more severe. If the forecast holds, 23XI Racing would much rather run the dry setup it developed after practice.

What This Means

Reddick’s pole is important, but the bigger story is how he got there. The No. 45 Toyota was not where 23XI Racing wanted it to be during practice. The team identified the problem, made aggressive changes, and found enough speed to put Reddick at the front of the field.

That gives the team confidence heading into Sunday. It also gives Reddick the opportunity to control the early race rather than spending the opening laps trying to recover track position. At Loudon, that can be a significant advantage. However, the pole will only matter if the car remains competitive once the tires wear and traffic begins to change the balance.

What’s Next

Reddick’s work now shifts from qualifying speed to race-day execution. The Dollar Tree 301 is scheduled for 301 laps, giving the No. 45 team a long window to find out whether Saturday’s changes truly solved the underlying handling issues. Reddick will have clean air at the start, but eventually he will have to deal with worn tires, traffic, and the changing grip around the “Magic Mile.”

Sarah Talker’s question about Turns 1 and 3 gets to the heart of that challenge. Reddick can attack those corners aggressively when he has the track to himself. Sunday will be about knowing when to back off, when to search for grip, and when to trust the car underneath him. The pole proved that 23XI Racing found speed when it mattered. Now Reddick has to prove the No. 45 can keep it for 301 laps.