By Luis Torres, Staff Writer
AVONDALE, Ariz. — In the midst of facing the unknown while having a career year, Tyler Reddick has kept himself cool, calm, and collective leading up to his first Championship 4 appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The two-time former Xfinity Series champion collected three wins and career highs 12 top-fives and 20 top-10s that helped Reddick win the regular season championship over Kyle Larson.
Following an unforgettable last lap victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway two weeks ago, the opportunity of bringing home a championship for himself, along with co-owners Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan created immense buzz leading up to Phoenix.
Clinching a spot early allowed Reddick and the No. 45 squad to prepare for the 312-lap finale, even having tremendous help from 23XI’s ally Joe Gibbs Racing, who had none of its drivers made the Championship 4 this year.
Additionally, not worrying about brakes catching fire spelling the end of the road at Martinsville last Sunday. It does allow Reddick to become the second driver to win the Cup after a DNF the race before. In 2018, fellow Championship contender Joey Logano scored is first title at Homestead after not finishing the race at Phoenix the week before.
“I think either way we’re going to try to bring a really good car for this weekend,” said Reddick.
“Knowing we’re in, knowing that this car right here that we’re working on is going to be a Championship 4 car, just gave us extra time to really focus on that car and understand what the work going into that car, what it means, what it’s going to be racing for.
“It’s been really cool over I’d say the last week to see everyone from Joe Gibbs Racing chipping in and helping and coming by the shop, going over the car with our folks at Airspeed. It just feels like everyone has really banded together and made sure we have everything we need on the car, that it’s as fast as it can be when we get here.”
However, stuff out of Reddick’s control has raised questions. With the lawsuit involving 23XI, Row Motorsports, and NASCAR itself kicking into high gear, there are some implications. Heading into 2025, neither team currently have a charter going from 36 to 32.
As a result of the injunction, it could spell career altering outcomes which does include an out clause for Reddick and the team’s sponsorships.
All Reddick can do is focus on the bigger picture and let higher ups at 23XI…
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