The first road course race of 2023 at the Circuit of the Americas last Sunday was thrilling for all NASCAR fans. If the electrifying rush of adrenaline is so high for the fans, it’s hard to imagine how high it would be for the drivers, who have to simultaneously deal with the pressure of the competition. This concoction of excitement, rush, and pressure can become noxious sometimes, as experienced recently by Michael Jordan’s team’s driver, Tyler Reddick.

The victory at COTA meant that Tyler Reddick finished in the top 5 for the third consecutive race, and he is rising in the points standings. Though it was a fourth career win for Reddick, it marked his first for Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing. The way to the top for Reddick was not easy, and despite the probing efforts of those behind him, he managed to hold on to the lead in the final laps.  

Tyler Reddick’s heart outpaced his car at COTA

Tyler Reddick appeared on the Rubbin in Racing podcast after his win. The hosts of the podcast shared a clip from the interview on Twitter, in which, the 23XI Racing driver is seen talking about his worryingly high heart rate during the race. According to the post, his heart rate was about 3.5 times higher than his baseline for the entire race.

The hosts asked Reddick if he wears any gadgets to collate the heart-rate-related data during the race. Reddick replied that he wears the Wahoo device on his forearm and a watch to monitor his heart rate and health. He added, “I just found my watch, I left this in my suit and I just got it today. My heart rate was in the red, zone five, you know the highest zone that you have, for two hours.”

Correcting on of the co-host’s remark about his heart rate peaking at 190 during the race, Reddick mentioned that it hit 201 at one point. For comparison, his resting heart rate is around 47–48. To this, one of the co-hosts jokingly remarked, “Your heart was running quicker than your f**king car!”

Tyler Reddick has his fans worried, and rightly so

Tyler Reddick’s fan following has been growing consistently since he joined the 23XI Racing garage. Several motorsports enthusiasts believe that Reddick has the talent and potential to make it big in the Cup Series. However, after his revelation, some fans were concerned about his excessively high heart rate during the race at COTA.  

Read More: Denny Hamlin Reveals a Significant Milestone That His & Michael Jordan’s NASCAR Team Achieved With Tyler Reddick’s Victory at COTA

One of the fans found the post to be a perfect context for reigniting the “NASCAR drivers are not athletes” debate.

A resourceful fan shared a post with Tyler Reddick’s and Daniel Saurez’s heart-rate charts from the race.

Another fan tried to downplay the seriousness of it all through humor.

Everything seems to be going pretty well for Reddick since his move to 23XI Racing. Moreover, with the win at COTA, expectations from him will get higher.

Watch This Story: Tyler Reddick Admits Michael Jordan Wasn’t “Expecting a Lot” From Him, But It Was a Ploy for the Best