Tyler Reddick became the first driver to ever win the opening three races of a NASCAR Cup Series season when he raced to victory at the DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix on Sunday. So, surely he was named the driver of the week on the latest episode of “SPEED With Harvick And Buxton,” right?
Right?!
Well, that wasn’t the case. Neither Kevin Harvick nor Will Buxton picked Reddick as their driver of the week following another strong weekend of racing, even though the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota driver had his most dominant victory yet in his three-race winning streak at Circuit of The Americas on Sunday. Reddick led for 58 of the 95 laps in his latest victory.
So, who did Harvick and Buxton pick for their drivers of the week? Let’s take a look.
Kevin Harvick: Eli Tomac
Harvick knew his pick might surprise some, but he was impressed with Eli Tomac picking up his eighth career win at Daytona International Speedway in Saturday’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.
“We’re going to make somebody mad this week because we had so many great performances, but I chose Eli Tomac,” Harvick said. “Getting eight wins at Daytona — such an iconic facility and unique track. He knocked his tooth out afterward picking the trophy up.
“They’re all spectacular this week with what they’ve done. I didn’t want to feel too biased, either. So, I wanted to be open-minded about the perspective. Eight wins at Daytona is pretty phenomenal.”
Will Buxton: Alex Palou
(Photo by Gavin Baker/Lumen via Getty Images)
Buxton, meanwhile, remained in the INDYCAR world for his pick for driver of the week. He selected Alex Palou after he drove to victory at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
“Outstanding start to the season for the four-time champion who has raised his level again,” Buxton said. “It wasn’t just that he won, it was how he won. It was the intelligence, the race brain and the ability to conserve fuel in the opening stint so that he didn’t just make a better fuel number than his rivals, but that he was able to push on the laps he was able to outstay his rivals on the track.”
[INDYCAR OPENER: 4 Takeaways From Alex Palou’s Victory at St. Pete]
Palou led Sunday’s race for 59 laps, claiming a near-10-second lead by Lap 60. He eventually won the race by over 12 seconds as he seeks to win his fourth-straight INDYCAR title.
“Everyone who thought they had a chance this year, they’ve got to redouble, again,” Buxton added.
Fan vote: Tyler Reddick
While Harvick and Buxton didn’t give Reddick love, the fan vote did. Reddick received 71% of the fan vote for driver of the week, crushing the field. Fellow NASCAR driver Shane van Ginsbergen received 12% of the vote following his second-place finish at COTA. Palou got 10% of the vote, while Tomac received 7% of the vote.
