NASCAR: 5 drivers who could’ve replaced Jimmie Johnson
By Asher Fair
Possible Jimmie Johnson replacements: No. 4 – Tyler Reddick
Along with Erik Jones and Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick was considered to be one of the younger drivers in contention to make the move to Hendrick Motorsports if the team opted to go with a younger driver to replace Jimmie Johnson.
Reddick had previous ties to Rick Hendrick’s organization, having driven for JR Motorsports in 2018. He won the Xfinity Series championship that year as a rookie.
But at that point, he had already committed to making the switch to Richard Childress Racing for 2019. He made the move believing that they gave him a better and faster shot at a Cup Series promotion.
He won the championship in 2019 as well to become the first driver in NASCAR history to win the championship in back-to-back years as a full-time driver with two different teams, and he did receive that promotion for 2020.
Reddick impressed during his rookie Cup Series season in 2020, recording a top finish of second place at Texas Motor Speedway and leading many to wonder how he would perform in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
The only reason why he didn’t win the Rookie of the Year award is because fellow rookie Cole Custer won at Kentucky Speedway to lock himself into the playoffs, thus clinching a top 16 finish in the championship standings.
On points alone, Reddick finished well ahead of both Custer and Christopher Bell. Those drivers had been known as the “Big 3” in the Xfinity Series in 2019.
Instead, Reddick stuck with Richard Childress Racing, where he continues to compete behind the wheel of the #8 Chevrolet.