Superspeedways have long been the stage for some of NASCAR’s most harrowing moments, with Daytona International Speedway often stealing the spotlight. Yet, Talladega Superspeedway is not far behind.
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The track has seen its share of chaos, from the infamous “Big One” in 2002 that tangled 31 cars to Rusty Wallace’s violent crash in 1993. Other chilling wrecks include Carl Edwards’ airborne crash in 2009 and Kurt Busch’s wreck in 2013.
Tyler Reddick’s wife, Alexa Reddick, knows the risks all too well. During a candid conversation on the Believe in the Good with Haley Dillon podcast, Alexa shared her honest fears about superspeedway races.
She said, “Coming into like those last couple laps, and you’ll understand this like at Talladega, Daytona – at those racetracks coming out unscathed is a win; coming out in one piece. You didn’t have to make another trip down Pit Road, or you didn’t hear any chaos on their radio. You’re like ‘Oh my gosh, okay, we’re going home, we didn’t DNF, we’re finishing in the top 20,’ whatever it is. Like, I don’t even care! He didn’t hit a wall.”
However, Alexa admitted that in her book, even a second-place finish at a track like Talladega counts as a win, though for Tyler, “a win is a win, a trophy is a win.” While Reddick grabbed the win during last year’s spring race at Talladega, he could not ride the same wave of momentum during the fall event and ended up finishing P20.
That said, Reddick handled the season’s first superspeedway outing — the Daytona 500 quite well, bringing the #45 machine home in second place. Heading into Talladega, he carries an overall average finish of 19.3 at the track across 10 starts, marked by one win and three top-10 finishes.
Given his steady form this season, Tyler Reddick will roll into Talladega as one of the top contenders. After nine races, he has already collected three top-five finishes and four top-10s. It now remains to be seen whether he can pick up where he left off last year and deliver another standout performance.
