The final chapter of the series followed a familiar pattern, but determining which driver would set the benchmark lap time required an internal showdown among a few NASCAR Cup Series rivals. TRD drivers John Hunter Nemechek, Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, and 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick competed in a lap time battle, with Reddick emerging victorious.
Reddick, a self-proclaimed gamer, has spent countless hours on Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon games, making the challenge feel like a natural fit for him—at least at first.
“I still find time to game when I can,” Reddick told RACER, reflecting on his busy NASCAR schedule. “After the kids are in bed and my wife is asleep, I like to unwind by gaming. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed.”
When the opportunity came up, Reddick was immediately intrigued. “I thought, ‘This is perfect.’ I’ve played a lot of Forza games and feel pretty comfortable with a controller. I’m not amazing, but I have a lot of experience.” However, he quickly realized the challenge involved using a racing rig instead of a controller. “That threw me off at first,” he admitted. “I’ve only played Forza with a controller, so switching to a steering wheel took some adjustment. But it was a lot of fun.”
Competing against his regular NASCAR opponents added extra pressure, even though the event was just for fun.
“Oh, absolutely,” Reddick said. “I wish I could’ve approached it without feeling that pressure. But having played so many Forza titles, I felt like I couldn’t let these guys beat me, especially using a rig instead of my trusty controller. Bubba doesn’t have much background with it, Christopher neither, and I wasn’t sure about John Hunter. Early on, we were all pretty close. Then John Hunter laid down a really solid lap, and I thought, ‘I don’t think I’ve got this.’ Somehow, though, I managed to put together what I thought was a decent lap. But I know there are other players who will prove me wrong—I just have that feeling.”
The competition, like others in the Legend vs. Leaderboard series, took place on the fictional Maple Valley Raceway. This time, the added challenge of wet conditions made it even more treacherous. Reddick believes the track’s design is ideal for single-lap challenges and would translate well to the real world.
“It’s a track that really pits you against the course,” he said. “It would be fun in any race car. I think it’s best suited for something with a lot of horsepower but not great braking, which would make the flowing sections even more challenging. The layout we used required threading the needle in places. You couldn’t afford to take the sweeping right-hander too wide or you’d ruin the next section of the short course. It was tricky to nail it.”
As a controller player by habit, Reddick found Maple Valley’s momentum-focused layout particularly tough. “Tracks with big braking zones and tighter corners are easier for me with a controller, but flowy, momentum-based sections are a challenge unless I’ve had a lot of practice. This one was definitely demanding.”
