And just like that, Tyler Reddick bounces back into the game! The 23XI Racing driver was in a rut after barely scraping through the regular season to secure a seat in the 2025 Cup Series playoffs. Dark clouds loomed over his head as he appeared nowhere close to being the cheerful and confident guy he usually is. But he turned things around at Darlington Raceway on Sunday with a runner-up finish.
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The result put him 35 points above the Round of 12 elimination line and in a great position to move on to the next round. One of the most notable incidents that occurred to him was in the very first lap.
Josh Berry spun coming to Turn 2 with Reddick on his outside. Reddick brushed the wall and nearly spun himself, but managed to save his car. Fortunately, the Camry didn’t need big repairs.
Former driver Kyle Petty spoke about how the driver managed to handle this hurdle and still finish up high on NASCAR: Inside the Race. He said, “I don’t think a lot affects Tyler Reddick. Let me just be really clear about that. He just gets up on the wheel and drives.
“Whatever it feels like, he just drives it. Watching what went on at Richmond, watching what went on at Daytona for Tyler, I think this kind of stops the bleeding for that team. This gives them something to hang their hat on.”
The No. 45 crew surely needed this boost at this juncture. Reddick, particularly, will find himself able to smile again now that he has taken control of matters again. The only hope is that he keeps the momentum going.
Why Reddick wasn’t himself after the race at Daytona
When a driver who was a part of the Championship 4 in 2024 struggles to make it to the playoffs in 2025, he is bound to undergo some sad emotions. Reddick failed to win a race throughout the regular season and finished in 34th place at Richmond (penultimate race of the regular season) and in 21st place in Daytona (the regular season finale).
These concerning performances led to the fandom witnessing a rather crestfallen Reddick at the end of the Daytona race. Former crew chief Steve Letarte even made a note of this on last week’s edition of NASCAR: Inside the Race and stressed that the only solution to go back to being who he was is to win.
While he didn’t quite get there in Darlington, he made a strong case to show the world that he cannot be written off yet. His next race will be at Gateway (World Wide Technology Raceway).
