Tyler Reddick | A Beast Behind the Wheel

Tyler Reddick has entered the chat. He claimed his first trophy of the 2023 season after taking Circuit of the Americas by storm with triple overtime. Reddick is fueled up and pushing himself to a whole new level with his new team, and his mentor, Kurt Bush.

LET’S TALK TYLER REDDICK
Car No. 45       Team: 23XI Racing       Crew Chief: Billy Scott             Hometown: Corning, CA

NEW TO THE CREW
In a last-minute switch, Tyler went full beast mode and jumped from RCR (Richard Childress Racing) to 23XI for the 2023 season.

HE’S BEEN FUELING UP WITH MONSTERS SINCE…
“I’ve been around Monster my whole life. I did a lot of dirt racing, a lot of late nights. A lot of Rehab's in my life. A lot of OG Green in my life up until this point. As a kid growing up, I maybe was drinking them a lot earlier than I was supposed to.”

HE TRAINED TO WIN
"I try to train one to two times a day. Because of the time and effort, I put into training and everything, it really helps my mental toughness."

… AND HIS COOLING SHIRT MALFUNCTIONED AT COTA
"On Sunday (COTA), we had an issue with my cooling shirt, we couldn't get plugged in from the drop of the green flag." A cooling shirt is designed to be hooked up to a cooling unit, to cool off the drivers core temp. "So, it was actually working the opposite, the fluid in the shirt was getting hot because I was hot, which then made me warmer. It was a very physical day."

HIS SON, BEAU, WAS PRETTY STOKED ON THE WIN
"He's still excited about it. He went to school a Monday morning still covered in Monster Energy stickers on his skin. He didn't care. He loved it."

HE WAS SICK AF IN ATLANTA
The Thursday before the Atlanta Race (March 19), Tyler started feeling weird. “Just feeling really nauseous, dizzy, it just continued to get worse and worse on Friday, then we qualified Saturday. I was sick all night, didn’t get any sleep, and communicated with the team that we needed a backup plan (driver: John Hunter). John Hunter flew down there right away. We took it hour by hour."

THEY ADJUSTED THE CAR IN CASE HE NEEDED TO BAIL
"Atlanta's one of the higher stress level races we have, with the speeds we carry around that track and style of racing. We had to move a few things in the car so John Hunter could get in it if I had to get out. That actually made my comfort in the car, worse. After that first pit stop, I was determined to stay in the car and thankfully, I didn’t get sick."

HE’S RACING WITH KURT BUSCH
“Every step of the way, what we need, what we need help with, he’s here to help guide us and give us feedback. He’s a Cup Series Champion. It’s great for someone like me who is still pretty new to this.”

It’s no secret that Tyler is racing Kurt’s #45 23XI car this season. As Kurt Busch continues to recover from his injury last year at Pocono, he’s involved in every step with the team, from team meetings, to race day, to being there for his racers.

HE’S RACING WITH KURT’S CREW CHIEF
"The trials and tribulations that Kurt's been through and the things he's seen with all of his experiences, is something that I'm able to really lean on. When I came to 23XI, it was a brand-new start for me. Kurt kickstarted the relationship with Billy Scott and the whole team that I now work with."

Fun Fact: Billy Scott was also Tyler’s back up crew chief when he raced at RCR.

ROAD COURSES WEREN’T ALWAYS HIS THING
"Me (and RCR at the time) dedicated an entire off season to improving road course racing and my craft. We figured out what it is that I am missing and what it is I need to work on. It was about 16 hours every week in the off season. We returned to racing action in 2021, and it was eye-opening how much better we were. We’ve been fine tuning ever since.

GETTING IN SHAPE PHYSICALLY & MENTALLY
"Last season, I was in racing shape, I could hang on in the racecar just fine, but I wasn’t happy with my physical appearance. I was overweight. In the midst of all my off season, I lost (about) 30 pounds by the start of the next year. So not just row course work ethic, I was determined to improve on all fronts."

PRE-RACE RITUALS… EMPTYING THE TANK
"I will go to the bathroom about six times before I get in the car. Your body knows you literally just went to the bathroom 15 minutes ago, but then, you go again. So, you just empty the tank as much as you can. It’s just a weird thing that’s in my head when I get ready for a race."

Other that that, he likes to keep race day activities packed. “That way it helps the morning fly by. There's a lot of stress, a lot of anxiousness and butterflies before you get in the car, a lot of pressure, especially on a day like we had at COTA."

HIS FAVORITE MONSTER DRINK IS…
OG Green. No question about it.