Illness is not a common sight among NASCAR racers. More common than that are wrecks, flips, and accidents that ravage the world of racing. But something unusual happened with Tyler Reddick before the regular season finale at Darlington Raceway. As the 23-year-old was eyeing a Darlington win, a rampant stomach illness emerged. And, the chances of participating in the last regular season became minimal by the day.

The No. 45, despite all odds against him, was there, revving his Toyota. And, the way Tyler Reddick participated throughout became an embodiment of the racing spirit. He finished P10 and clinched the regular season title. While Tyler Reddick may be the only racer with physiological trouble of this scale and size this season, other racers have faced similar situations as well. A prominent name amongst such racers is Kevin Harvick, who looks back into some of his troubling days after seeing Reddick at the Darlington Raceway.

Kevin Harvick talks about the racer’s resolve

Tyler Reddick’s car had a fresh look at the race. The No. 45 Toyota Camry XSE was custom-painted for the occasion and featured legendary athletes Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, and Wayne Gretzky. But just when everyone expected the race to be an iconic end to the otherwise impeccable season for 23XI Racing’s star driver, his health deteriorated. The persistent issues with his stomach caused persistent nausea for the driver.

After the race, the former NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kevin Harvick, could relate to Reddick’s situation. Sharing similar experiences he encountered during his racing career on the September 3 episode of ‘Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour’ with Mamba Smith, Harvick said, “I’ve never po-ped or pe-d in my pants, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Referring to the various distress messages the racing community heard on Tyler Reddick’s in-car radio. Tyler Reddick himself described the misery he had to go through. “At one point, I was just waiting to puke all over myself. Thankfully, they kept that from happening. A lot of other gro-s stuff,” the 23-year-old had earlier said.

Furthermore, Kevin Harvick explains why a racer’s mind strives to participate and compete in the situation Reddick was in. He added, “I have been pretty sick in the car. It’s just this weird feeling of when you’re that sick you get in the car, being determined to prove everybody wrong. But suddenly you are just wind up in the zone of, I am just gonna do this today, and I am gonna do whatever I have to do. And you just wind up and engulfed in all the things around you and able to just block it out. The worst thing that happens is the caution comes out.”

The night before the race was the toughest for the 23-year-old. To get rid of the acute pain he was in, Reddick took Imodium at the infield care center the night before the race. That proved to be detrimental for the racer. The medication, though used for treating Traveller’s diarrhea, significantly slows down the gut movement. This didn’t go too well for Tyler Reddick. The 23-year-old described his experience of the medication and said, “I actually really just wanted to get it out because it was really, really bad. I took some Imodium at the infield care center earlier. That was the worse thing for me because I couldn’t get anything out that I wanted. It was just a rough night.”

While Tyler Reddick’s illness was probably the first of its kind for this season, several other racers have faced physiological issues over the years. Some resumed the race, others just couldn’t take it and prioritized health over the sport.

When physical discomfort jeopardizes racing

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Several NASCAR racing legends in the past had to face discomfort before or during the race. The physiological issues even forced these racers to retire from the race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had to encounter a similar situation when the NASCAR Hall of Famer experienced dizziness and vision problems. After some time, the condition started worsening, and he had to face concussion-like symptoms. The NASCAR legend had to miss the second half of the 2016 Cup Series season.

Thankfully, a few years back, Junior finally put his fans at ease by sharing that he’s feeling “no lasting effects” from the 20 to 25 concussions he’s racked up over his decades-long racing career. Looking back on his health journey, he even said, “I’m feeling pretty good about where I’m at, both personally and health-wise.”

Another incident where a racer had to discontinue racing occurred during the pandemic. Jimmie Johnson tested positive for COVID-19 and had to miss the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Although Johnson was asymptomatic, he decided to follow the pandemic protocols and chose not to participate in the race.

“My first priority is the health and safety of my loved ones and teammates. I’ve never missed a race in my Cup career, but I know it’s going to be very hard to watch from the sidelines when I’m supposed to be out there competing,” Johnson said, emphasizing the importance of health, not just for him but for everyone else.

What are your views on Tyler Reddick’s valiant regular season finale run? Do tell us in the comments down below.