By: Sarah Handy, Staff Writer
Tyler Reddick looked poised to capture his third top-10 of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway but handling issues would put that to a halt.
Starting Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 from the 24th position, Reddick was quickly the biggest mover of the race. By lap nine his No. 8 Roland Chevy was solidly running 13th.
The competition caution fell on Lap 25, Reddick still sat 13th [but] complained that his Chevy was tight in the corners and loose on the bottom. It was four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment for the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team.
By lap 34 he zoomed into sixth then things slowly went the other way.
Lap 95, John Hunter Nemechek brought out the caution, bringing Reddick to pit road for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment. Reddick’s biggest complaint was his Chevy stepping out too much on the white line.
Despite finishes of 14th and 12th in the first two stages, Reddick still fought handling issues.
“We just missed it with the handling today of our [No. 8 Roland] Chevrolet,” Reddick said. “We had speed during the first stage and were able to race up into the top 10, but as the stage came to an end, it felt like a tire was going down, so I slowed down to take care of the car and ended up getting shuffled back through the field. From there, it was just a tough day. I couldn’t [really] run anywhere except for the bottom, and even that was a challenge.”
Handling continued to be a problem for Reddick and his No. 8 for the remainder of the final stage. Despite a tough day, his No. 8 left Atlanta with a 16th place result.
The finish marks Reddick’s seventh Top-20 finish of the season. He [also] has two Top-10s and five Top-15’s thus far, including a season and career best finish of 7th at Darlington.
“We grinded it out today and got as many spots as we could, which is important as we try to fight our way into the Playoffs,” said Reddick. “I know my crew chief, Randall Burnett, has a good feel for Martinsville [Speedway], so I’m looking forward to racing there on Wednesday for the first time in a long time.”
Reddick currently sits 18th in the driver standings heading into Wednesday’s event at Martinsville Speedway.
Live for the grind kind of day. Can never give up. 💯
— Tyler Reddick (@TylerReddick) June 8, 2020