NASCAR at Darlington Aug. - Sept. 2024: Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson pre-race

hello all right we're going to continue our media availabilities here in advance of the cookout Southern 500 weekend we've now been joined by Tyler reck driver of the number 45 Toyota for 2311 and Kyle Larson driver number five Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports Tyler Kyle thank you both for joining us today we really appreciate it um as we head into this weekend obviously the end of the regular season regular season Champion will be crowned tomorrow night and then additionally it's also the southern 500 so if we'll take a question from Tyler first or a comment I should say from Tyler first follow back Kyle just tell us a little bit about this weekend and and what it means to your team um to be here yeah it's uh the regular season's kind of flown by um the whole year kind of has uh the break everything else I don't know it feels like we just got going but um yeah it's been a nice climb out of the out of the gutter for us um as the years went on just uh some really solid finishes have helped us close the gap and then get to where we are currently today um yeah really excited for this weekend this is always a race that um means a lot to me I feel like it means a lot to a lot of these drivers and um it's one that I've ran second third a few times in to this very guy over here to my left so we we'll uh we'll try and get one spot better this weekend but um yeah we'll probably be racing around each other a lot tomorrow night all right and C um yeah I know as as Tyler touched on it's kind of wild that uh we begin our playoffs next week and um yeah I feel the same way you know season's kind of flown by and um we've had as well as I'm sure all the teams are our ups and downs a little bit opposite I guess of Tyler you know we I feel like start of the year off really consistent strong and then have kind of found some inconsistent races on my end here lately um where you know he had tough luck early in the year and then has been super consistent since so um and then now we've kind of met you know with similar points at the end of the the regular season so yeah it's been fun it's been uh you're good to to be up front those times and and we've been fast most weekends so you now as we approach the final 10 weeks just got to uh you know be on our aame all right well go ahead and take question questions for Tyler or Kyle if you have one um please state your name and affiliation we'll start up front with Reed and go to Bob Reed Spencer with the NASCAR wire both for both you guys um can you think about the regular season points battle while you're out there racing I mean can you know or are you more content run with running your own race and and not paying attention to that until maybe the end of the race I feel like at a place like Darlington it's hard to because I mean it's just you're kind of racing the track right uh there might be an option to mix up the strategy and the stages but I think we all kind of have a pretty good idea you know what the best strategy is going to be so it's tough here I feel like you go to some of these other tracks you know Michigan's a perfect example right where you have uh you know we more worried about fuel than tires I think it's easier to do it but but here it's it's just a race where you're kind of run against the track all night long and um certainly it could go that way but um I feel like we both have solid nights that I should we're in a pretty good spot unless we just have a disastrous night yeah yeah I mean same same thing it's uh as well as he and I both run here there shouldn't be too many points exchange so it just kind of comes down to making sure you have the cleanest race possible to not you know um yeah just uh hinder your yourself in the points position I guess but uh yeah so it's just yeah it's a tough track one that um yeah the strategy is very straightforward and if you have a good car you're going to be up front and and probably going to be taking tires most every chance you get if a caution comes out so yeah nothing nothing to kind of really get off strategy with all right Bob Bob pakis Fox Sports Tyler have you seen the hood of your car yet and do are you familiar I'm sure you know Tiger Woods and Jordan but I don't know how big a hockey fan you are yeah Wayne grety man that's pretty crazy um I mean you don't have to be very familiar with hockey uh to know about Wayne Wayne so yeah I I remember seeing the car um in the shop like last week and I saw Michael on the hood and I quickly went on by the gym or whatever and then uh a couple days later I took another look at it and I realized tiger and and Wayne are on the hood too so yeah just just adding to the pressure of the weekend so it's fine with me yeah like what's it like to have your boss's face on the hood take care of the hood better take care of it Bob yeah all right we'll go to Steve Post in the back I probably don't need a microphone Kyle you've conquered so many really cool racetracks not only in NASCAR but in your dirt racing and and and all of your uh traveling what does it mean to have won at this racetrack Tyler alluded to this place the history of it what does it mean to you to be a winner here at Darlington and and be able to check this track off yeah you know a lot like Tyler I I'd run up front here for years and you have led you know hundreds and hundreds of laps here um you know maybe the most in my cup career here um and had yet to to win a race so um you know last year finally Conquering the southern 500 felt really really rewarding uh because this is such a difficult track and and like I mentioned you know one where I feel like I If I had more experience and and done things differently could have won to you a couple other at least so yeah when you finally close out a win it uh feels great and when it's a Crown Jewel and and wanted a historic racetrack like Darlington it's just uh yeah it's great so it's it's definitely up there in my my list of race wins and and memories and um you hopefully could have another opportunity to do that again this weekend all right we're going to take our next question for Mark with PRN thank you Mark Carol PR and for both of you just looking ahead next week you start the playoffs at Atlanta so basically a Speedway race just your your thoughts on starting the playoff that way hopefully make it past lap two it should be a better day yeah it's just it's uh one of those speed races um you know again it's one that that could you could see a mixup on strategy and everything but yeah we'll just we'll uh cross that bridge when we get there but certainly just that first round really has the the the opportunity for it to get out of hand for a number of teams so just try to manage uh manage the race best we can we get there yeah no I mean it's definitely um you for I guess teams like ours probably not one that we were excited to see on the schedule but um you know I think the good thing for the teams who are performed well throughout the regular season you know you hopefully have some bonus points along the way you know a a little bit of a buffer to the bubble um so yeah no that's uh it's it's a anything type anything that happen type of track but uh we were really strong we've been really strong there we just um I don't think I've finished a race yet at Atlanta since they've repaved it so have just been caught up in in different wrecks every time so hopefully next weekend's a little different we can be up front and um you'll get stage points and and uh at least see the checker flag Joey Lago was in here earlier and basically thought or intimated that all three races in the opening round you have Atlanta Watkins Glenn Bristol will be wild cards how do you guys feel about about those three races and are they all wild cards Atlanta can be um maybe we've seen some you know pretty chaotic finishes there just you know stackups can happen at a at a bad time and take out a lot of cars Watkins Glenn I feel like is a bit more straightforward um you know it seems like the tire we're going to go with is going to be much different than what we've been used to so I mean it's very possible with that that um it takes a little bit different formula than what you've seen in the past there to win so that has the potential and then yeah I think with a place like Bristol um if it remains like it did in in the spring then yeah it could just be totally wide open there as well so yeah it it has all the potential to be a real uh real disaster if if you're not careful I mean almost every race in the next gener could be considered a wild card you know there's just always crazy things that seem to happen so um yeah you just got to kind of take it week by week and and assess where you're at and and and what uh what your goals are going forward but um yeah I know the first round I think definitely can present more challenges than other rounds but um like I said every every track is uh anything crazy seems to happen all right we're going to go to Chase Chase fome front stretch.com Kyle as the most recent National Series winner at Rockingham how cool was it for you to see that back on the schedule and would you consider running there uh is it just it's just trucks right and exfinity oh and exfinity um I don't even know the weekend of it so um what's that Easter no I'm taking Easter off so no I love to race but not that much so um yeah one weekend off Bob that's amazing so uh no I won't be there as much as I like rock am or or liked it back then I guess it would be different now you know since they've repaved it since then but I do think it's it's awesome that um you know we're we're going back to venues and kind of restoring venues like Rockingham North wboro um all that so yeah I mean I think the schedule is uh is pretty pretty cool um obviously wish we had at least one more off weekend but uh no I think I think the variety and and you for the for the lower series to tie into you those Grassroots style fan bases um is great so yeah um you won't see me at Rockingham but uh I might be watching all right we'll go to Peter going off that question Peter Str at tsj sports Tyler I believe that last Rockingham race was your first truck race what are your thoughts on returning to Rockingham yeah I mean I feel like um if it wasn't for you know my first Cann start at Rockingham I don't know if I'd be here honestly so yeah track is um has been good to me uh well it was good to me in the in the Ken car but um my truck start was a little less than desirable I think we got spun out like lap three or something like that so um it's always been a really fun track um I've gotten to get an understanding of what you know faster RAC track's kind of like they RAC in there um way back when so it's cool to see it back on the schedule like for me you know is a place that kind of changed my life so um it's it's great to see it back all right go ahead Chris Weaver Fox a wghp hot point uh Kyle and and Tyler to what extent but Kyle you uh raced in the in one of those Canyon races at Bowman grade talk about the idea of going to Bowman gr for The Clash and what you remember about the Cann race there and then Tyler just sort of follow up on your thoughts about The Clash at Bowman gry um yeah I honestly like it was so long ago I don't really remember uh much about the race I remember qualifying you I I got the poll there the time we ran so I remember part of that I mean it didn't take very long to complete two laps there but um I just remember being like really slick and uh you kind of like your tires never came up like they were never quite ready in qualifying so it was like dirt tracking around there um but that was different you know back then obviously different car tire horsepower all that but regardless I I'm excited to go there um logistically it it makes way more sense for the teams um you and drivers and competitors and the fan base there is just amazing um I've been there to watch you know local a local weekend show um I sat in the stands that night we ran the Cann race afterwards I think they had you know modifies or something run and um there's there's no other experience like Bowman Gray as a race fan so I hope that same style crowd shows up for a cup race there and are flipping all of us off and lean over the walls screaming at us cuz uh it's amazing it it's such a cool atmosphere so I'm excited for it um and yeah I I just hope the weather the weather cooperates I don't know if our show will be crazy enough for them they may not like us I could be wrong all right we're going to go to to Al and then up front to Mike yeah Kyle Al here some a week the year you won your Championship you won 10 races but if not for a great pit stop at Phoenix you might not have been the champion does that system kind of seem odd to you that you can dominate a year and it comes down to something that close um I don't know I mean it's just it's the system so it doesn't really matter um you got I think it makes for story lines and whatnot but yeah I mean I never really cared until that year you know when we went into Phoenix with nine wins and and it dominated the year I was like man I can't believe and I was thinking it too with like right before that final caution I was like man I can't believe you know we've been the best car all year and I'm going to finish fourth in points um and then you the magic caution came out we had a magical pit stop and you the rest was history but uh yeah I don't know I mean I think I've heard people mention you know I would I I think I would be in favor of like a you know three race little stretch to to decide the champion but rather than just w at Phoenix but I don't know if we'll ever see that but um yeah for right now I mean it is what it is you got to be good everywhere and and um you know especially good at Phoenix all right we'll come up front to Mike go ahead Mike Mike hry aut the week speaking of Bowman Gray is one of the few places where you can see a young mother teaching her 5-year-old son how to flip yeah but uh Kyle been a lot of talk obviously about you and Max lately uh Ray aam yesterday mentioned he could probably put you two guys in irck cars somewhere if if you had an interest in that but has this has a response to all that talk kind of surprised you um no not not not necessarily um you obviously there's different fan bases throughout the world and um you know I think everybody's definition of the best all-around driver is a little bit different um so yeah I don't know I think um it was a fun fun little topic of conversation there for a couple weeks and um you obviously you have the American fans who Stand By Me and then the rest of the world um but regardless you know it's it's cool to just be I guess in in the topic of conversation um is one of the best allaround current drivers but um yeah like I said everybody's definition is a little bit different so I think that that makes your opinion of of what that might be a little different all right our next question we'll go to Owen in the back and then we'll end with Stephen up front here actually this time it's me okay Greg go ahead um obviously Greg angle cups scene.com obviously the elephant in the room we've got a Chevy driver and a Toyota driver when you guys and obviously if if it comes down to to winning a race you're going to be manufacturer Centric towards the the end if you help a Chevy driver Toyota driver but tomorrow night when we've got the cut off and we've got guys who could could win to get in or be on the bubble are you guys cognizant of Manufacturers or is it in other words do you tip tool around those drivers if if you know to make sure you're not a factor in a bad way rather regardless of manufacturer or does manufacturer still play into it I mean a place like this you're just running your own race you know you're thinking about yourself you're being selfish you're not really thinking about anybody else this Speedway that's where it gets a little more complicated um but yeah at a place like this you're just you're just trying to win the race you know for us we're we're in the playoffs right so if we go out there and win and you know it keeps anything crazy from happening but um yeah it's it can get a little tricky as we saw yeah I mean I think for a place like this you're not as conscious about it as you are maybe last week but um yeah I mean I sure if it's like Ross and Kyle lined up at the front at the end you're just I guess you know you just don't want to be the reason why they right they crash and don't make it or or something like that but you're still trying your best to win for yourself and your team and and all of that so and and the same goes I think even at a track like Daytona so um but yeah I me it's not something that's you typically think about and and as for the schedules next year it seems that the drivers we've talked to today you you know we say when is this race when is that race and do you guys when the schedules come out do you look at them as hard as as like us or or or it's just they tell you where to go and and you go do it every year I'm just excited for another road course um finally get to go to Mexico so that' be cool too um yeah I think I've been like some Cancun or something I don't know it doesn't really count real Mexico I've never been to so I'm excited about that um yeah outside of that I mean we try to just think ahead look ahead of what we need to be focused on for for the Playoffs next year outside of that other than seeing only one off weekend that's the only thing I think we really think about I mean for me I didn't really study a whole lot cuz there's no Sprint car schedules out yet so until those come out then yeah once once Sprint car schedules come out that's when I start building building my schedule for next year all right we'll take one final question from Steven and WRA Stephen some fr.com question for both of you guys um with the regular season finale being held at Darlington this year is there kind of more calmness heading into this one knowing the points and what you guys both need to do to win win the regular season title compared to ending at Daytona and where the points change every single lap I mean yeah I was I was kind of hoping Dayton was going to go a little better but um coming in a place like this um it's kind of I'd say it's pretty much in in our control it's in our it's in mine it's in his right it's how we go out and have how we run our race tonight um we'll we'll decide it place like Daytona is just you know when you're fighting the cut off or if you're fighting you know for that regular season Championship it's just Championship is just so stressful because there's so many things that can happen out of your control um yeah I mean I I like Daytona be in the finale of the regular season um I just I think that extra you imagine if Harrison Burton won last week like it would or sorry this week like he won last week I just think it'd be an even bigger story so um and I think it's that way next year again maybe we go back to Daytona for the final so yeah I just uh not that it matters a whole lot I just think the the storyline of it you know being the final final race to get in is pretty cool all right Tyler Kyle thank you so much for joining us we really appreciate your time we wish you guys the best of luck this thanks thank [Music] you all right there's the Checker FL great job driver