Two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch announced on September 13 that he will join Richard Childress Racing in 2023 and take over the No. 8. This created immediate questions about Tyler Reddick’s status with the team, which Richard Childress addressed.
The owner of RCR met with media members at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and confirmed that Reddick is under contract for the 2023 season. He will return to the team, but he will not be in the No. 8. He will drive a third full-time entry in the Cup Series while Austin Dillon controls the No. 3 and Busch controls the No. 8.
This entry will have a charter behind it, which guarantees entry into every race and provides a larger portion of the prize purse. RCR only had two during the 2022 season, so the team had to either purchase or lease a third for the 2023 season. Childress was not yet ready to discuss this transaction, so questions still remain.
Reddick’s future has been a hot topic since he announced his upcoming move to 23XI Racing. There were questions about whether he would head to the Toyota team one year early or finish out his contract with RCR.
Reddick has remained steadfast in his message that he will be at RCR during the 2023 season. He said that he had every intention of finishing out his contract. 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin also mentioned that there were no plans to get Reddick before the 2024 season.
Reddick Will Have a New Crew Chief in 2023
GettyTyler Reddick will have a new crew chief in 2023.
With Busch taking over the No. 8 for the 2023 season, he will also join forces with a winning crew chief. He will work with Randall Burnett while Reddick works with a different crew chief for the first time in the Cup Series.
Reddick first began working with Burnett when he moved to Richard Childress Racing for the 2019 Xfinity Series season. He won six races and won the championship, his second in a row but first with RCR.
Reddick moved up to the Cup Series during the 2020 season, but he continued to work with Burnett. They have since reached the playoffs twice while winning two Cup Series races.
Childress revealed during the press conference that he had just recently informed Reddick of the change. He pulled him aside about an hour before sitting down with media members at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
“It was ok. He understood our contract and what’s in it,” Childress explained on September 13. “I said I would talk to him later about the details.”
This change will likely be jarring, but it will not take place until after the 2022 Cup Series season comes to an end. For now, Reddick and Burnett will continue to pursue more wins and spots in the upcoming playoff rounds, starting with the Round of 16 cutoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Childress Explained Why He Made These Decisions
GettyRichard Childress has explained why Kyle Busch is in the No. 8.
There were some immediate questions for Childress after he confirmed that Reddick will remain at the organization while driving a different entry. Chief among them was the reason for this significant move.
“The reason we are going down this road we’re going is I want to build more and more with that [No.] 8 team,” Childress explained. “And I don’t want to do it in [a] one-year deal. This is a long-term deal to go out and win races and race for championships.
“And that’s the reason why when Kyle and I worked this out, it was time to put him in that car to help build the No. 8 team and keep it going to wherever it’s going to a longer-term contract.”
Another important reason why Childress chose to put Busch in the No. 8 is that the two-time champion reminds him of another big personality. He compared the Las Vegas native to Dale Earnhardt Sr.
“When I was up there with Kyle, and we first started talking and talked about championships and we talked about winning races, I looked at him in his eye, and I had seen that look in Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s eye.”
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Richard Childress Addresses Tyler Reddick’s Status After Kyle Busch Deal