Tyler Reddick knows what it feels like when everything is clicking.
He won the first three NASCAR Cup Series races of 2026, added another victory just weeks later and spent the early part of the season making a strong case that the No. 45 team would be a championship contender.
Now, heading into Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway, Reddick is looking for some of that magic again.
The 23XI Racing driver spoke exclusively with Heavy Sports on Wednesday, Oct. 14, ahead of his fifth race with Rockstar Energy on the No. 45 Toyota. And while he remains focused on finishing the season strong, he didn’t pretend the past several months have gone according to plan.
In fact, Reddick made it clear that Phoenix matters for reasons that go well beyond the championship standings.
Tyler Reddick Says 23XI Racing Has Something to Prove at Phoenix
Reddick’s historic start to the season raised expectations considerably. Winning four of the first six races will do that.
But the summer brought a string of setbacks, and the No. 45 team hasn’t been able to maintain the pace that made it such a threat early on.
“We’re definitely at a point in our season, you know, where, you know, we think we all wanted to be more in the hunt for the title,” Reddick told Heavy Sports. “We’ve just had a really odd summer.”
Reddick pointed to failures and incidents involving other competitors, explaining that many of the problems weren’t necessarily the result of mistakes his own team made.
That distinction matters to him. He hasn’t forgotten how strong the No. 45 was when the season began, and he doesn’t believe those performances should be dismissed because of what happened afterward.
Now he wants to see that same speed return.
“It’s super important for us to to find a way to show the speed and capability that we did (in) the first 14 races of the season,” he said.
Reddick acknowledged that his team isn’t carrying quite the same championship pressure as the drivers at the top of the Chase standings. But that doesn’t mean the pressure has disappeared.
“For us in our own expectations, you know, we’re feeling that pressure,” he said.
The expectation is to arrive at Phoenix ready to compete for a win. If that doesn’t happen, Reddick still wants to see something encouraging.
“If that’s not going to happen, we have to at least show signs that it’s there.”
It’s an important distinction. Phoenix isn’t simply another opportunity to collect points before the season ends. It’s a chance to find out whether the team can get back to the level it expects of itself.
And with the offseason approaching, those answers matter.
Why Reddick Believes Every Detail Matters at Phoenix
Reddick knows Phoenix isn’t especially forgiving when a team gets behind early.
During the interview, he explained how the one-mile track rewards drivers who put together a complete weekend, from the first practice laps through qualifying and the race itself.
A competitive car off the hauler gives a team room to fine-tune its balance. A strong qualifying lap helps secure a better starting position and pit stall. Get those pieces right, and Sunday’s race becomes a much more manageable challenge.
“This is one of those race tracks that, yeah, the entire weekend is super important,” Reddick told Heavy Sports.
He also noted how much the racing surface has changed during his Cup career. Phoenix was once among the tracks with relatively little tire degradation, but its aging pavement has made tire management increasingly important.
The challenges may look different than they did a few years ago, but Reddick believes the basic requirement remains the same: execute from start to finish.
“What it takes to be successful there has kind of remained the same,” he said.
Cup Series practice and qualifying are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, before Sunday’s Freeway Insurance 500 at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Rockstar Energy Partnership Brings a Different Kind of Energy to the No. 45 Team
Phoenix also marks another milestone in Reddick’s partnership with Rockstar Energy.
The brand joined forces with Reddick and 23XI Racing in April, making its debut as a primary sponsor on the No. 45 Toyota at Talladega. Sunday’s race will be the fifth time Rockstar has served as the car’s primary sponsor this season.
Asked what he’s enjoyed most about the relationship, Reddick didn’t start with the car’s paint scheme or the promotional appearances.
He started with the people.
For someone who spends much of the year traveling from track to track, Reddick said it matters to work with partners who share his enthusiasm for racing. He’s also enjoyed seeing Rockstar fans embrace the No. 45 team and vice versa.
The partnership makes sense to him for another reason, too.
Rockstar emphasizes pushing limits, something Reddick has been doing since his earliest days racing on dirt.
“I’ve always learned where the limit is by crossing it many, many times and figuring out, okay, this is where I need to be,” he told Heavy Sports.
It’s a philosophy he still carries into NASCAR.
Reddick has also enjoyed the creative side of the partnership, particularly when Rockstar finds ways to involve the people around him.
He recalled filming the partnership’s announcement video with a race car on track, complete with laps and burnouts. More recently, the team took part in a nighttime shoot at a new 7-Eleven location.
Rather than simply asking Reddick to stand beside the car for photos, the production included his crew chief and pit crew.
Those details stood out to him.
And there’s one more perk to having an energy drink sponsor: finding a new favorite flavor.
Reddick said the original Rockstar remains a staple at the racetrack, while Silver Ice is another favorite. But his car chief, Michael “Rambo” Hobson, recently introduced him to Rockstar Boom Piña Colada, which has become a hit with the No. 45 crew.
When team members spot it at a gas station on the way to the track, they’ll sometimes grab an extra can and save it for Reddick.
“The Pina Colada is pretty damn killer,” he said with a laugh.
It’s a lighter moment in a season that hasn’t always been easy.
But once Reddick straps into the Rockstar Energy Toyota at Phoenix, his attention will return to the challenge that matters most: showing that the No. 45 team still has the speed to fight for wins.
After the way 2026 began, he knows exactly what that looks like.
Tyler Reddick Reveals What’s at Stake for 23XI Racing at Phoenix