Kurt Busch Has a Big Prediction About Tyler Reddick

Tyler Reddick won his first race for 23XI Racing at Circuit of the Americas on March 26. Kurt Busch has predicted that this is far from his last time taking the No. 45 Toyota Camry to Victory Lane because he believes Reddick will soon be a Cup Series champion.

Busch made a big prediction during an April 2 appearance on “NASCAR Race Day.” He told host Shannon Spake how his own deal with 23XI Racing came together and then he explained how everyone in the building has been impressed by the former Richard Childress Racing driver.

“We know we have the right driver in Tyler Reddick, and he has surprised the heck out of all of us,” Busch said. “And the number one thing, the number one thing is his work ethic. I am so proud of the way that he jumps in the sim and he puts in the laps. He literally asked for an extra session before going to COTA because he felt like there was more time that he could gain in a certain section.

“Bottom line — Tyler Reddick is going to be a champion in this sport. I feel it. He’s just a dirt racer from California that runs 30 laps at a time and just goes 100 percent. He’ll find that right rhythm on all of the different tracks — short tracks, intermediates, superspeedways. But right now, we’ve got a road course master right now in Tyler Reddick.”

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Reddick Has Conquered Multiple Tracks

The driver of the No. 45 Toyota Camry has made four trips to Victory Lane in the NASCAR Cup Series. The first three were with Richard Childress Racing while the fourth was with 23XI Racing.

Reddick’s first trip to Victory Lane took place during the 2022 season. He battled Chase Elliott at Road America and came out victorious. He then added his second career win four weeks later at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Reddick’s third career win was his first away from a road course. The drivers headed to Texas Motor Speedway to kick off the Round of 12, and they all had the goal of winning the “easiest” race in the round.

Reddick was not eligible to move on to the Round of Eight after a crash started by Daniel Suarez at Bristol Motor Speedway eliminated both him and Austin Dillon. However, he still went out and led 70 laps after starting fourth overall, and he held off Joey Logano on the final run to the checkered flag.

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Reddick Could Add More Oval Wins in 2023

Reddick has shown that he is a dominant force on road courses. He has three wins, 10 top-10 finishes, and five top-fives in only 16 Cup Series starts. He will be a favorite to win at road courses throughout his career.

Reddick will also have many opportunities to add oval wins to his resume after joining forces with 23XI Racing. The team had speed at a variety of intermediate tracks in 2022, and it swept the Kansas Speedway races with Kurt Busch and Bubba Wallace.

Busch also finished second at Nashville Superspeedway and 10th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway while Wallace finished third at New Hampshire and ninth at Darlington.

Reddick contended for wins at intermediate tracks during his time with Richard Childress Racing, headlined by a runner-up at Darlington Raceway and his win at Texas. This trend should only continue as he spends more time working with Busch, crew chief Billy Scott, and everyone else at 23XI Racing.

 

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