Kurt Busch revealed on October 15 that Tyler Reddick will replace him at 23XI Racing starting with the 2023 Cup Series season. Now Reddick and Richard Childress Racing have both weighed in about the early split.
“Richard Childress Racing has agreed to release Tyler Reddick to drive for 23XI in 2023,” the team said in a statement. “With Kyle Busch coming to RCR next year, we believe it is in our mutual best interest to focus on building successful programs for the future. RCR and Tyler have enjoyed a great deal of success together, and everyone at RCR wishes him well.”
This statement changes the conversation that took place when Kyle Busch announced that he will join RCR in 2023. Team owner Richard Childress said on September 13 that he would move Reddick to a third entry that would feature a charter. Now, however, RCR will move forward with two teams while Reddick takes over the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD.
Reddick Did Not Have Involvement in the Contract Talks
GettyTyler Reddick prepares for a race at Richmond Raceway.
News surfaced prior to the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that 23XI Racing and Richard Childress Racing had reached an agreement regarding Reddick. The California native would be able to move over to Denny Hamlin’s team a year earlier than expected.
Reddick noted on October 15 that he did not have any role in these discussions. RCR and 23XI Racing worked out the details while he focused on preparing for the trip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. They made the move happen, which removes the possibility that Reddick will have to go through a “lame duck” season.
“Certainly, it is nice to know — like, ‘hey, this is what the future is going to hold,” Reddick told reporters, transcript courtesy of Chevrolet. “I’m going to get to go over there earlier than I planned and just start working on those things that myself and a lot of the ownership over there talked about wanting to do and why we wanted to get together. We just get a year earlier start on that and that is very exciting for me.
“I’m excited about the opportunity, but I understand and know — I’m excited in a weird way for all of the things that we’re going to have in front of us. In a weird way, it’s always been really fun for me to put a lot of work into something like I have at RCR and see how much has come out of it. So, I’m really excited to do that again and do that at 23XI.”
Reddick Will First Close Out the 2022 Season
While Reddick will move over to 23XI Racing a year earlier than expected, he will first take care of some unfinished business. He will close out the remaining four races of his tenure at Richard Childress Racing, and he will try to win his fourth race of the year.
Reddick has already put himself in a position to pursue this goal. He followed up the big announcement by winning the pole for the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He will lead the field to green at a track where he has five starts with two top-10 finishes.
Once Reddick finishes out the remaining races with RCR, he will prepare for a major move. He will move over to 23XI Racing and become a teammate of Bubba Wallace. He will also help solidify a Toyota Racing lineup that has faced numerous questions throughout the 2022 season.
“This whole year has been a roller coaster for Toyota,” TRD USA President David Wilson said,” per NASCAR Media. “We’ve been in the news cycle far too much. And in the first emotion [of Reddick’s arrival] is just relief. It’s like, ‘OK, I think we can focus on racing for a few weeks and not worry about the next announcement, not worry about the next question.’ And so just to have all that sorted has been a relief. Obviously, I think for Tyler and for all parties, this was the natural solution. It gives all of us a lot of peace of mind.”
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Tyler Reddick & RCR Weigh In After Early Split