Tyler Reddick is set to join 23XI Racing for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, but which of the team’s cars will he drive? Will he replace someone?
In a shocking announcement, it was confirmed earlier this week that Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick is set to join 23XI Racing for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Richard Childress Racing recently picked up the option in Reddick’s contract to keep him behind the wheel of the #8 Chevrolet through the 2023 season.
But what they did not do was extend Reddick’s contract, and in turn, he decided to sign elsewhere for 2024. In signing the 26-year-old Corning, California native, 23XI Racing also avoided being a part of any potential Reddick sweepstakes, which likely would have ensued during next year’s silly season had he remained unsigned until then.
But there was one detail left out of that announcement: which car will Reddick driver in 2024? Here are three possibilities.
Possible Tyler Reddick 2024 landing spots: No. 1 – #45 Toyota
Kurt Busch is currently in his first season behind the wheel of the #45 Toyota, which 23XI Racing added as their second entry ahead of the 2022 season.
Busch is still performing at a high level, winning at Kansas Speedway back in mid-May to make the 2022 season his ninth consecutive winning season — and presumably his 10th straight season with a playoff berth.
But many believed that when the 23-year veteran signed with the Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan-owned team, he had signed his final contract.
Even before signing with 23XI Racing, Busch had stated on multiple occasions that he was content with everything he had accomplished throughout his racing career.
Now having driven — and won — for each of the sport’s four most recent manufacturers, perhaps he will truly be content with hanging up his helmet following the 2023 season, paving the way for Tyler Reddick to drive the #45 Toyota in 2024.
Possible Tyler Reddick 2024 landing spots: No. 2 – #23 Toyota
Bubba Wallace leaving 23XI Racing after the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season to pursue another opportunity is not a discussion that many might have predicted happening, but it has emerged as a possibility.
Wallace definitely has the sponsorship to look elsewhere for a new ride, and there are sure to be multiple rides open after the 2023 season. But why would he leave?
There are multiple reasons. For one, Wallace hasn’t been super productive since joining the team as the driver of the #23 Toyota when they entered the sport in 2021. He did win a rain-shortened race at Talladega Superspeedway last October, but his other results have been less than spectacular.
He has just four other top 10 finishes since joining the team last year. Two came at Daytona International Speedway, both runner-up finishes, and another came in a fuel mileage race at Pocono Raceway when he finished in fifth place. The only other one is a 10th place finish at Kansas Speedway.
To put that in perspective, he had five top 10 finishes in his final season with Richard Petty Motorsports alone.
However, while he sits in 24th place in the point standings, eight spots below teammate Kurt Busch, not all of that can be blamed on him.
His pit crew has let him down on multiple occasions, and it’s not a stretch to suggest that he could have several other top 10 finishes this year if not for errors on pit road. He has let out that frustration on multiple occasions throughout the 2022 season.
With that in mind, we can’t neglect to ask one question: was it pure coincidence that the Tyler Reddick announcement came just days after the crew member swap between the #23 team and the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing team of Christopher Bell?
If Wallace leaves 23XI Racing after the 2023 season, Reddick could very well find himself behind the wheel of the #23 Toyota in 2024. But there is still another option.
Possible Tyler Reddick landing spots: No. 3 – Third 23XI Racing Toyota
Denny Hamlin recently made comments that he would be pausing 23XI Racing’s growth until NASCAR’s business model changes, halting all further investments in the team until appropriate changes are made by the sport.
That has led many to believe that Tyler Reddick would have to replace either Kurt Busch or Bubba Wallace to join the team in 2024. Both are under contract through 2023, but contracts for 2024 haven’t been confirmed for either one.
However, it is worth remembering the fact that Reddick is set to join the team in two years, not next year, and this should give 23XI Racing — and NASCAR — plenty of time for things to change in the direction Hamlin wants to see prior to the resumption of his further investment in the team.
If those changes are made, don’t rule out Reddick joining 23XI Racing in a third car. Will 23XI Racing be able to secure a third charter to add another new entry?
If so, perhaps the number 35 is an option for a third 23XI Racing Toyota, given the fact that Michael Jordan used the number for part of his baseball career.
When the team announced the addition of a second car for 2022, that car was announced as the #45 Toyota as a nod to the other number Jordan used (aside from number 23) during his legendary basketball career.
Or, there is always the number 67 to continue the trend: first 23, then 45, and now 67 (2-3-4-5-6-7). This would also give them the option to add a fourth car (#89 Toyota) down the road.