Tyler Reddick would host a calm off -season.
The 29 -year -old Nascar driver has the impression that he has not really been able to relax during the sports break at three months. His most recent “break” was his most chaotic.
Reddick was made on the headlines as part of the current legal battle between his 23XI racing team, co -owner by the star of the NASCAR Denny Hamlin and the great Michael Jordan, and the sanction organization.
23XI and the first automobile row filed an antitrust complaint against NASCAR last fall concerning the charter system of the stock series which guarantees 36 cars a starting place in each race. Among the statements: Reddick, champion of the regular season Cup series of last year, would immediately become a free agent if the team had no charter.
A judge ruled in favor of the teams, allowing them to compete with the recognition of the Charter in 2025. But the fight is far from the rear view mirror of Reddick while he turns his attention to the opening of the Daytona 500 season on February 16 .
“I wouldn’t say it was uncomfortable, but I certainly paid him attention,” Reddick told the Associated Press. “I don’t think I’m never really uncomfortable in the whole process. I have a lot of confidence in our owners. I believe in them. I believe in their process.
“This is why I came here, and that’s why I’m still there. But that certainly attracted my interest in the midst of the offseason. »»
Stressful, without a doubt. But did that create enough distraction so that it can derail a rising star who enters his third season at 23X?
“The vibrations are good,” he said. “Everyone is focused and preparing for the season. From this point of view, I am in a happy place.
And for a good reason. Reddick won three races in 2024 and ended up being one of the four teams in competition for the championship in the final of the season. He struggled to follow the possible Joey Logano champion, finishing sixth at the Phoenix Raceway and fourth in the standings.
It was a disappointing conclusion for a successful year which understood Reddick marrying his longtime girlfriend, Alexa. They announced last month that they were waiting for a second child in June.
What could exceed this?
“A Daytona 500 (victory) would be really nice,” he joked.
It would not be shocking since Reddick won two superspeedway races in 2024: in Talladega in April and Daytona last February in one of the qualification duels.
“Baby Steps,” he said. “Speedway Racing has been a nightmare for me over the years. There are so many things that can happen, and it’s always a learning experience. … Finishing the 500 would be a start.
“I finished it for a year, but I was like 500 laps. If I can finish on the head tour of the 500 – I know it’s a big request – it would be an excellent start to the year. I would feel like we were miles in advance.
Reddick has a certain moment before speedweeks. He finished sixth in the opening of the season, an exhibition race at the historic Stade Bowman Gray in North Carolina on Sunday, after having run in the top 10 all night.
“He just has the ability to get more speed from a car than others,” said Hamlin. “It is the simple way to say it. But he also has a very good race job. This is where he really improved over time, it is to be able to manage his business and keep it, keep in the game, even when he does not have the best car. “”
Reddick has also developed a talent to manage the off -season.
His first child was born in January 2020, a month before his recruited season in the Cup series. The following off -season was filled with tests before the start of the new Gen because. In 2022, he participated in behind the scenes negotiations to leave Richard Childress Racing and sign with 23ix.
The next offseason, after leaving his RCR contract early, he found himself going to a new team. In 2024, he spent the off -season to adapt to the racing shop of 114,000 square feet of 114,000 square feet nicknamed “Airspeed”.
This year has exceeded all the others because of the uncertainty surrounding the trial and the way it could affect its future of racing, another child on the way and the addition of a third car at 23ix, the Toyota n ° 35 directed by Riley Herbst.
“There was change. There has been growth. You call it, we have treated it, “said Reddick.” Maybe it’s just life. It definitely passes the offseason very quickly; It doesn’t really feel like you have one.
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AP Racing Automatic: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
