Reddick Prepares for Championship Battle at Phoenix

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 his 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, Front 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 deal with the battle which has been easy for the 28-year-old to process.

“I haven’t really had to try to block it out. It pretty much just came naturally with what lies ahead for us. They’ve got a team of people that are taking care of that. I’m taking care of what I can do as the driver,” Reddick explained.

“It hasn’t been difficult at all to not think about that stuff. I didn’t even really have to tell myself to ignore it because I’m just so locked in on that weekend and the trophy over there. All the banners and signage, right, we know what we’re racing for. It’s been very easy to stay focused.”

Crew chief Billy Scott has also noted Reddick’s tense business approach at Phoenix, but isn’t worried about it knowing he’ll be ready for the race of his life Sunday.

“I think it’s probably situationally dependent. Certainly he is focused,” said Scott. “He certainly wants it as bad as anybody and has put a lot of effort into that, but he also has been his light-hearted self around us a lot too.

“I think he’s doing a good job of balancing that. Hopefully his nerves are in a good place come Sunday.”

In 1993, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls wrapped up their first three-peat over the Phoenix Suns in Arizona. Fast forward 31 years, Reddick has the opportunity to walk away from Phoenix and bring MJ, a passionate and longtime NASCAR fan before becoming an owner in 2021, his first Cup title in just four seasons.

Reddick commented if he’s had a chance to chat with MJ this week, but it’s not been the case right away. Such conversation is likely to happen before strapping into the No. 45 Toyota.

“I know we’ll catch up between now and when we strap in the car. Yeah, just been going through it with the team as we kind of have been the last 10 days or so,” said Reddick. “Just what do we need to be thinking about, going through our list of things as we get ready to prepare. Obviously we’re here now. A lot of the preparation is done.

“There’s still a good bit of time, almost an entire day, before we finally get on track. So plenty of time to think about little things. But largely I think a lot of the preparation is done, the car is loaded, it will be here shortly. I feel good about what we’ve done getting ready for this weekend.”

Growing up, Reddick has been around racing as his dad raced on local dirt tracks before becoming one himself where he learned a lot from the late Scott Bloomqvist which he dedicated his Michigan win in his honor.

Now married to Alexa and their son Beau, Reddick reflected on what a championship this Sunday could mean for the family. Especially that Beau has caught the racing bug of wanting to be at the track, but it wasn’t an easy question to reflect upon.

“It’s hard for me to really say,” said Reddick. “When I was a kid growing up, my dad raced locally, short tracks. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I can only imagine what it’s like for my kid. I can’t speak for him.

“I certainly know he loves coming to the racetrack, getting to spend time with the team, getting to meet some of the other drivers that are part of this. He just always really, really looks forward to going.

“I know that because the weekends he doesn’t go he was so upset with my wife. I swear next year if there’s reasons she can’t go, he’s just going to find a way to come with me because he loves being here so much.”

Racing is part of the Reddick family and a title could create everlasting memories in more ways than one at Phoenix Raceway.