Cup Series Driver Pulling Double Duty at COTA

The top three series in NASCAR will head to Austin next week for the first-ever race weekend at Circuit of the Americas. This track presents a new challenge for several drivers, and one will prepare by putting in some early work. Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick will take part in the Xfinity Series race on May 22.

The Cup Series driver will partner with Jordan Anderson Racing for the race, driving the No. 31 Bommarito Automotive Group Chevrolet Camaro. He will partner with crew chief Arthur Haire while driving an RCR-supplied car. Reddick has previously competed in two Xfinity Series races in 2021, taking 12th place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and completing the race at Homestead-Miami. Though NASCAR later disqualified him after a failed inspection.

“I appreciate everyone at the Bommarito Automotive Group, Chevrolet, and Jordan Anderson Racing for putting this opportunity together,” Reddick said, per Jayski. “I am hopeful that we will be able to have a great run in the Pit Boss 250 at COTA and build some solid momentum moving forward. Between the pairing of the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) chassis and ECR motors they have – it will be great to get back behind the wheel of a familiar race car in the Xfinity Series.”

Reddick has previously performed extremely well in the Xfinity Series

Prior to his time in the Cup Series, Reddick raced full-time in the Xfinity Series. He started all 33 races in 2018 and 2019 for JR Motorsports and Richard Childress, respectively. Reddick won two races with JRM en route to an NXS championship. Cole Custer finished second in points while Daniel Hemric finished third.

Reddick continued dominating the Xfinity Series in 2019, albeit with a different team. He returned to Victory Lane six more times, taking the checkered flag at iconic tracks like Talladega Superspeedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Reddick turned in his best performance of the season when it mattered most, starting on the pole at the championship race and finishing first after leading 84 laps.

Reddick scored his second consecutive championship trophy and set up his departure to the Cup Series. Custer finished second in points once again before also departing and joining Stewart-Haas Racing in Cup. Christopher Bell rounded out the top three and then also left for NASCAR’s top series, joining Leavine Family Racing for 2020 and Joe Gibbs Racing for 2021.

Reddick has yet to win a Cup Series race

The Richard Childress Racing driver moved to the Cup Series full-time in 2020, taking over the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro. He impressed as a rookie with three top-fives and nine top-10s. He didn’t reach Victory Lane but posted a season-best finish of second at Texas Motor Speedway while teammate Austin Dillon won.

While Reddick is a two-time champion in the Xfinity Series, he has yet to win a race in his brief Cup Series career. He has 50 career starts on the top level and four top-five finishes. This list includes another second-place finish in 2021, which he posted at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Based on his second-place finish in the third race of the season, Reddick currently holds the tiebreaker over Matt DiBenedetto. The two drivers have 268 points after 12 races, but Reddick is above the cutoff line while his fellow driver is just below. Neither has a guaranteed spot in the playoffs, but the Richard Childress Racing driver has an early advantage at the midpoint of the regular season.

Reddick will try to reach Victory Lane for the first time in his career on Sunday in the Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. ET on FS1. One week later, he will pull double duty at Circuit of the Americas.

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