“I Was Miserable”: Tyler Reddick Comes Clean on “Lost” Feelings Amidst Asphalt Racing Transition

Tyler Reddick might not have made it to the Championship 4 race in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series but that doesn’t make his season a bad one by any stretch. The 23XI Racing driver won two races and ran some slick paint jobs to cap off what can be considered a commendable year. Reddick right now is a master of asphalt racing but when he started, things did not go too well.

The 27-year-old began his career racing Outlaw Karts before transitioning to midgets, dirt late models, and sprint cars. Most of his early career was spent competing on dirt tracks. So when he got his first chance in asphalt racing, Reddick wasn’t comfortable at all.

Tyler Reddick explains struggles ahead of first NASCAR race win

On a recent episode of the Door Bumper Clear podcast, the 27-year-old revealed just how miserable he was when he started competing in asphalt races. The first big opportunity he got came in the 2012 ARCA Racing Series with Ken Schrader Racing Series. His first race was at the Mobile International Speedway and the 23XI man did not have the best time.

“My first asphalt race was in Mobile, Alabama and I was running for Schrader. I just remember like, I don’t know, the race was so long, I hated the windshield, it was so hot, I was miserable…there’s no way I can do this. There’s no shot,” he said.

However, things started getting better. In the next race in Salem, Tyler Reddick entered the top 10 with an impressive P8 finish. His first win in asphalt racing was not far away as he shocked the racing community.

“Then we went to Salem and it went a little bit better. Larry Moore was the crew chief and I ran okay but I was so lost. Then we went to Rockingham of all places for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race, my first NASCAR race I guess. I don’t know it just…the track was slick, the tires wore out, I was like oh okay, this makes sense,” he added.

Tyler Reddick won his first K&N Pro Series race in Rockingham and since that victory, there has been no turning back for the 27-year-old driver. Today, he drives in a fairly competitive team in the Cup Series. While a lot of people may not like one of his bosses, the 23XI Racing man was full of praise.

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Denny Hamlin is one of the few people to own a team and drive for a different team in the same competition. But his commitment to Joe Gibbs Racing has not affected the amount of time he puts behind making 23XI Racing a success. That is one of the many aspects of the #11 driver that Tyler Reddick has a lot of respect for.

“He is very included in everything that’s going on and he’s got great people at 23XI Racing to handle the different pieces of puzzle. He’s got people in places to do that stuff,” Reddick said during the podcast. “We had a production day yesterday with The Beast Unleashed and for the cars that we were gonna have next year. [Hamlin] popped in, seeing the car in person like he’s very tuned into what’s going on.”

Tyler Reddick will be looking to build on what was a fairly successful season for him. The 23XI Racing driver seems to have the racecraft necessary to win the Cup Series and there is no doubt that he will be aiming for just that in 2024.

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