Tyler Reddick knows and respects Denny Hamlin as one of his two bosses, along with NBA legend Michael Jordan. But that’s off-track. On track, it’s a different story.
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Hamlin was one of the first believers in Reddick’s talent and potential when the Corning, Calif. native was competing in the Xfinity Series. Reddick then moved to the Cup Series for a three-year stint with Richard Childress Racing (2020-2022), only to be lured away by Hamlin, Jordan, and 23XI Racing in 2023.
Since then, Reddick has secured five of 23XI Racing’s eight wins. Not only has he lived up to Hamlin’s faith in him, but he’s also probably convinced his team owner to give him a break that he may not give to other drivers. But when they’re racing each other, Hamlin and Reddick are pedal-to-the-metal competitors, not boss-employee or even friends.
They are both racing for the same prize — a win — and if they have conflict, that’s the nature of the business.
“On the track, we race each other as if he’s not my owner and I’m not his driver,” Reddick said on this week’s edition of SpeedFreaks.
But there’s also a mutual respect between the two, something Hamlin doesn’t always maintain with other drivers.
“We don’t let it get too out of hand. I think we race each other respectfully but hard. Off the racetrack, even before being my team owner, he’s a Toyota teammate, so that relationship is there too,” Reddick said of any potential conflict with Hamlin.
“If I’m in a spot to help or he’s in a spot to help, it’s nice having someone that is a teammate, that is an owner, that has the veteran experience he does. If I have questions or thoughts in my head, it’s nice to get to someone to give me honest feedback as an owner, as a driver, and as a teammate,” he added.
Reddick owes much of his success to Hamlin’s faith in him
Hamlin is credited with identifying the potential in Reddick. “Denny was the one who was zeroed in on going after and hiring Tyler Reddick,” 23XI president Steve Lauletta said.
“He saw his talent, raced against him, knew that he is going to be a race-winning driver and champion driver at this level in the Cup Series,” he added.
“To give him the chance, and for him to work with us to be able to go to Phoenix (the 2024 season finale and Reddick in contention as one of the Championship 4 drivers) and have a chance to race for 23XI’s first championship is just all a testament to it being the right place for him to be and to take the next step in his career,” Lauletta elaborated.
While Hamlin remains one of the most competitive drivers in the NASCAR Cup, he’s somewhat tempered his competitive disdain if Reddick or 23XI Racing’s other driver, Bubba Wallace, does better than him.
Here’s a perfect example of Hamlin the way he used to be:
In his first season with 23XI Racing in 2023, Reddick won the fall race at Kansas Speedway. That was his second win for the team. Even though Reddick was his driver, Hamlin, as a competitor and racing for the opposing Joe Gibbs Racing team, was quite unhappy finishing second to his employee by .327 seconds.
“I am not enjoying the #45 winning right in this second, for sure,” an upset Hamlin had said. “I mean, on Sundays, certainly, I’m a driver first. You know, when it was our first couple [of] victories [as a team for 23XI], you’re super-excited for them.
“This one just stings a little bit more for me personally, just having a car dominant at the end and not winning,” Hamlin added.
However, Hamlin also knows that if Reddick has a chance for a win, he’s going to do whatever it takes to take the checkered flag — even if it means keeping his team boss at bay.
