'So far, something has felt different this year' says undefeated Reddick

The definition of locked in has a new meaning and a picture of Tyler Reddick next to it as the 23XI Racing driver is undefeated to start the NASCAR Cup Series season.

“So far, something has felt different this year,” Reddick told RACER and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio in EchoPark Speedway victory lane. “It didn’t quite feel like it was there at Bowman Gray, obviously. But I woke up on Sunday of the (Daytona) 500 feeling really good about it. Today, I did not, honestly, so that part was different.

“But after we got like 30, 40 laps in of racing, I was very, very happy with my Pinnacle Toyota Camry, and I knew we were going to be able to score stage points and be in the mix all day long. You just never know what’s going to happen in a race like this, and to be able to bounce back from what happened and win is just crazy, honestly.”

Reddick went right back to work after his Daytona triumph and looked no worse for wear or as if he was going to live on that accomplishment. With the pole position in hand (via qualifying rainout), Reddick flexed his muscle for a race-high 53 laps led, average running position of sixth and a race-leading 123 driver rating. (The latter is a formula from NASCAR that combines statistics such as finish, average running position, average speed and fastest lap.)

But it wasn’t easy getting from start to finish. Reddick thought his day was over when he was collected in a lap 224 collision that also involved his co-car owner, Denny Hamlin. A stack up in their lane with Hamlin coming off Turn 4 resulted in contact and Reddick sliding down the frontstretch.

The car lost a fender. Reddick might have lost his confidence for a bit, but never his ability to attack, and quickly came back through the field to be in position at the end when Bubba Wallace, his teammate, missed a block on the backstretch in the second overtime. It opened the door Reddick needed.

“Never did I imagine that he was going to drive back all the way to the front like that as he did,” crew chief Billy Scott told RACER and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio in victory lane. “Yes, on the last restart, it certainly fell our way with them getting shuffled and three wide and getting a big push from the (No.) 19 there to get the lead. I can’t say enough about Tyler. It’s incredible how determined he is and how resilient this whole team is, and how he made that happen again.”

Reddick’s focus – or as Hamlin described it after Daytona, on correcting wrongs and getting better after a tough 2025 – has not gone unnoticed. Hamlin revealed that the work began in the offseason through meetings, note-taking, and accountability for what could be improved. Scott also acknowledged the team's self-reflection on what they could do better.

The team went winless in 2025. Now they have two early wins to propel them toward a run at making the Chase.

“It’s huge for us,” Reddick said. “I cannot wait to see what the point standings look like; I’m assuming we’re still leading. Hopefully by a pretty good margin now. That will be really nice. We’ve been working really hard to be better at COTA. I know the last time we were there, Shane (van Gisbergen) wasn’t winning the race, but with how he’s progressed, I expect him to be what he’s been the last five or six road courses we’ve had.

“We’re hoping to go more toe-to-toe with him. If we can’t beat him, run second to him in every stage and score a lot of points and at Phoenix, we’ve been really good there in the spring the last couple of years. So, I feel really good about that. Then Vegas, we’ve been knocking on the door there for a number of years now, so confidence is in a great place.”

Circuit of the Americas is next, the first road course race of the season. Reddick is no slouch going left and right, and has a realistic shot at going 3-0 to start the season.

“It’s a great place,” he said. “It’s where I got my first win with 23XI a couple of years ago, and we’ve been probably just as motivated this offseason as we were when we first got together going into there. So, I’m very excited for what that means and how we show up with speed, short and long run. I’m very excited to get there and see how much we’ve closed the gap to Shane and some of the top runners.”

Of his 10 career wins, three of them have come on road courses: Road America, Indianapolis, and COTA.