BRISTOL, Tenn. — Tyler Reddick admits coming through next season without his crew chief, who will join Kyle Busch’s team at Richard Childress Racing in 2023, will be a “unique challenge”.
Reddick spoke publicly at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday for the first time since it was announced this week that Busch would drive the No 8 car and Reddick would have Crew Chief Randall Burnett. Reddick and Burnett have been together since 2019 and have won an Xfinity Series title and two Cup races that year.
The announcement came two months after Reddick’s deal to join 23XI Racing in 2024 became public.
Car owner Richard Childress said this week he briefed Reddick on the changes about an hour before Tuesday’s press conference with Busch. Childress made the changes as Reddick will be away next season and to build Busch’s team.
“None of this surprised me, honesty,” Reddick said of the changes.
“I will move to a new group of people, a new team in 2024. Getting through the next year with a new group of people is a unique challenge. If anything, moving on to (23XI Racing in 2024) will probably help me sort of get used to working with different people and going through that process.”
Childress said this week he will field three chartered teams next year, with Reddick staying with Busch and Austin Dillon. Childress only has two charters and would have to lease or buy a charter to give all three teams a charter.
With Childress providing few details on how he will have three teams, questions remain as to whether Reddick will join 23XI Racing a year early.
“It’s out of my hands,” Reddick said of where he will be racing next year. “As I have said to everyone, I intend to finish what I have agreed at RCR. I want to see this through to the end whether it was with the #8 car or whatever it will be. Richard has told me he will share many of these details.”
Change isn’t new to Reddick, the only driver in NASCAR history to have won back-to-back Xfinity Championships with different teams. He won the crown in 2018 with JR Motorsports and switched to Richard Childress Racing in 2019 and won the championship that season.
“It sure doesn’t hurt,” Reddick said of the experience. “I’ve been through a similar situation before. .. Just as any of us would do, we just try to make the best of what is in front of us or what our situation is and give 100% effort every day and hope that it is enough.”
For now, however, Reddick is focused on advancing to the second round of the playoffs. He’s competing two points above the cut line in Saturday night’s cup eliminator after finishing 35th in Kansas last weekend from a crash.
Reddick starts Saturday night from 17th in the 36-car field at Bristol.
“Even though we had a tough weekend in Kansas and retired, we’re just going to take it like every other race we’ve had so far this year and go out there and do our best,” said Reddick.