Tyler Reddick has gone two-for-two to start the season and now is ready to take his No. 45 Toyota Camry to Circuit of the Americas (COTA), the track where he has been to victory lane before. He also holds the edge in average finish of 4.6 in five starts, the best in the field. With Shane van Gisbergen around, the hill will not be easy to climb, but if Reddick is able to carry the same momentum or any good luck charm he has been carrying (at Daytona and Atlanta), he might have a chance.
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Except, Reddick recently let slip that he carries no good luck charm with him at all. While NASCAR drivers have long leaned on tokens and rituals, like Kyle Larson keeping a ladybug image tucked in his race cars from childhood to the top tier, Reddick walks a different path.
It is not that he scoffs at the idea. It comes down to how tight the ship runs on his team. He said, “I don’t keep anything in my car for good luck. I don’t think I have anything like that. I mean, we are so my crew chief, if I had anything in the car that wasn’t useful for good luck or anything else, the weight of it, he would have a problem with. So, even if I wanted to, it just would probably be non-negotiable. It would not happen.”
When asked if he keeps any keepsakes from wins, Reddick made it clear he never managed to pull anything off the car during the grind. But after the Daytona 500 win and the ring ceremony, he walked away with the Daytona 500 ring and the Rolex watch that came with it.
He still wears the watch even though it has not been sized for his wrist. As for placing anything in the car, Reddick said weight rules and post-race checks shut that door. Every ounce counts, and there is no room for extras.
Still, with two wins already in the bank, maybe the #45 driver does not need a rabbit’s foot, any extra good luck charm, or anything else up his sleeve, except his own racecarft. If momentum keeps rolling and he stays in the groove, that may be all he needs as the season moves on.
