DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. \u2014 Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick arrive at Daytona International Speedway focused on the unknowns of NASCAR\u2019s new superspeedway package, but both Toyota drivers already have one eye on a bigger challenge ahead: the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.<\/p>\n
The regular-season finale at Daytona marks the last hurdle before the championship chase begins at Darlington Raceway, where Hamlin and Reddick expect to be among the contenders for the title.<\/p>\n
Hamlin acknowledged questions remain about how the new Daytona package will race, especially without practice, but believes the overall flow of the event will likely remain familiar.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably,\u201d Hamlin said when asked if practice would have been beneficial. \u201cIt would have been a decent learning experience, but I don\u2019t think the fans miss out on anything. \u2026 Something from a learning standpoint, yeah, possibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the race itself, Hamlin expects drivers\u2019 comfort levels to determine how aggressively they compete.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the intensity level of the actual race is going to be dependent on that comfort level,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While Daytona remains the immediate focus, both drivers repeatedly circled back to Darlington, which opens the postseason next weekend.<\/p>\n
For Hamlin, the Southern 500 represents both an opportunity and a challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a track where I\u2019ve not been my best over the last couple races there,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cSo that\u2019s the number one focus for me at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reddick, meanwhile, considers Darlington one of his strongest tracks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love every lap of it,\u201d Reddick said. \u201cIt\u2019s fun trying to find ways to stay locked in for all 500 miles just right on the edge.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pair agreed the 500-mile race at Darlington is among the sport\u2019s most physically and mentally demanding events.<\/p>\n
Hamlin said preparation begins well before race day.<\/p>\n
\u201cI force feed myself more than what I feel like my stomach would want me to, because it\u2019s going to be one where you\u2019ll be drained at the end of it,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cIt\u2019s probably the most physically demanding track.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reddick echoed those comments, emphasizing hydration and rest.<\/p>\n
\u201cA little extra sleep and hydration is key,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The impending playoff reset creates a balancing act for both drivers. While Hamlin and Reddick earned strong regular-season results, the postseason format compresses the field and gives contenders a fresh chance to challenge for the championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the points we\u2019ve worked really hard for in the regular season, to an extent, kind of gets erased,\u201d Reddick said. \u201cIt gives everyone that\u2019s behind us the chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, after a summer filled with setbacks, penalties and difficult recoveries, Reddick believes the No. 45 team enters the playoffs battle-tested.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a lot of things, from mistakes and just wild things happening on the racetrack,\u201d Reddick said. \u201cI feel like when we get to the Chase and if there is anything that comes our way, we\u2019re absolutely ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hamlin sees the reset as an opportunity every contender must embrace.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe system is set up to allow those that are behind to catch up,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve done really well during the regular season, but you\u2019re going to have to find that little bit of extra notch that is required at this point in the year.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the most intriguing playoff storylines is the relationship between Hamlin and Reddick themselves.<\/p>\n
Hamlin co-owns 23XI Racing, the organization that fields Reddick\u2019s No. 45 Toyota, yet both drivers are expected to compete directly for the championship.<\/p>\n
Rather than viewing that dynamic as a conflict, Hamlin believes it has strengthened both teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat makes myself strong is I can use Tyler as an asset,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cAnd for him, it\u2019s what should I look for here or there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hamlin credited that open exchange of information for helping keep both drivers near the top of the standings throughout much of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s the reason, for the bulk of the season, we were one-two,\u201d he said. \u201cYou had two people that were comparing notes and getting better.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked if Reddick could be his biggest competition for the championship, Hamlin didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way the tracks layout, probably,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cI think our strengths are really his strengths.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reddick agreed the collaborative approach has benefited both sides.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, exactly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Before either can begin a championship run, however, Daytona remains the final assignment. With a new package, no practice and uncertainty surrounding how the draft will evolve, both drivers know the regular-season finale could be as unpredictable as any race on the schedule.<\/p>\n
After that, the playoffs begin, and every contender starts chasing the same goal.<\/p>\n
As Hamlin put it: \u201cYou just have to bring your best every playoff.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. \u2014 Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick arrive at Daytona International Speedway focused on the unknowns…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":875226,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-875225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=875225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/875226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=875225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=875225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=875225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}