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Tyler Reddick was not happy after finishing 2nd at Las Vegas on Sunday, and one of the reasons was the poor performance on pit road. Reddick called out “Stupid” pit road mistakes, saying that it’s the “Same s–t, different year”. Just how bad was Tyler Reddick’s pit crew on Sunday?
Stats
Overview
Tyler Reddick ended up towards the front of the field thanks to some neat pit strategy in stage one. On lap 10, Reddick pitted for two tires to end up in the top 5. While the two tires did not keep him in the top 5, he did hold onto 8th by the next caution.
He went on to pit again under that caution, but he lost three spots primarily because of other drivers taking two tires. The long, green flag run at the end of stage one allowed Reddick to show his muscle. He finished second, but, stage two was a struggle.
Stats
Overview
At the beginning of stage two, everyone pitted for tires and fuel, and Reddick lost 16 spots. However, this was no fault of the crew. Reddick slid and stopped too close to his pit wall at a bad angle, so, he needed to back up before rejoining the field on pit road, costing him 16 spots.
Reddick was knocking on the door of the top-10 in 11th when green flag pit stops came around. This pit sequence was seemingly flawless as he gained 5 spots to cycle out in 6th.
He worked his way up to 4th when a caution came out with 10 laps to go in stage 2, and the #45 team was solid once again. Reddick stayed in 4th for the ensuing restart, and he went on to finish 2nd in stage two once again. Would this good trend continue in stage 3?
Overview
Overview
Reddick began the final stage in second, and he was within about a half-second of Larson when pit stops started. He pitted a lap earlier than Larson, hoping to jump him thanks to fresh tires. At the end of the sequence, Reddick was nearly 4 seconds behind Larson. Despite not losing a position, Reddick had a lot of ground to make up, but a caution changed the game.
Reddick was in 2nd when the final caution flag came out with 33 laps to go. He pitted once again, and he lost a spot on this pit stop. However, that was because Ross Chastain pitted for two tires, so, Reddick actually held station behind Kyle Larson.
Final Stats
Overview
Overall, there were two major snafus on pit road for Tyler Reddick. The first was the pit stop at the beginning of stage two, where Reddick slid too far into his pit stall. That cost him 16 spots, and it was decidedly on Reddick. Could Reddick have won stage two if he was further forward at the start?
The second came in stage three. Reddick went from 0.5 seconds behind Kyle Larson with a likely chance to overtake by pitting a lap earlier to almost 4.0 seconds behind. The caution did take this disadvantage away from Reddick, but, what if this pit stop was flawless? Reddick could have overtaken Larson for the lead.
Aside from those two stops, Reddick generally held station on pit road. If he gained or lost spots under caution, it was primarily due to strategy. The exception would be in the middle of stage two when Reddick gained 5 spots during a green flag pit stop sequence.
At the same time, maintaining position is not what Reddick was trying to do. He wanted to pass those drivers on pit road, and, time and again, the opportunities came and went with little to no gain for Reddick. That is where Reddick’s crew can improve.
Was this loss all on Tyler Reddick’s pit crew? The stats would show that his pit crew was not totally to blame for the loss, but, they did not help themselves with a perfect day either.
