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Tyler Reddick Survives Early Scare, Clinches NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Berth At Daytona

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
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Tyler Reddick

Tyler Reddick didn’t have a good night in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

In fact, Reddick endured a rather lousy one.

In the end, though, it had no impact on the 23XI Racing driver’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff hopes.

Despite finishing the 26-race regular season winless, the wheelman of the No. 45 Toyota co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin is in the playoffs.

That means he’s one of 16 drivers who will show up next weekend at Darlington Raceway still in contention for the NASCAR Cup Series title.

What Went Wrong And Right For Tyler Reddick At Daytona?

Entering Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Cup Series regular season finale, Tyler Reddick held a less than comfortable 29-point lead over Alex Bowman for the 16th and final berth in the playoffs.

With 14 drivers already locked in the playoff field by virtue of winning a race this year, Reddick and Bowman knew that at least one of them would make the cut. But if the race produced a first-time winner in 2025, whoever had the fewest points on the season between Reddick and Bowman would be the odd man out.

It appeared — at least briefly — that Reddick would have to sweat this possibility. His No. 45 Toyota slid up into Todd Gilliland as the two exited Turn 4 on Lap 19 of the 160-lap race. After colliding, the cars slid down across the track in an accordion-like style, with Reddick eventually hitting the inside wall.

Reddick, who later said his car was “pretty destroyed,” took responsibility for the accident.

“That was all my doing there at the start of the race,” he said.

At the time, Bowman remained in the race and stood to gain significant ground on Reddick, whose car suffered significant damage but not enough to end his night. However, even worse misfortune came Bowman’s way on Lap 28. That’s when his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet became entangled in a multicar wreck involving 12 cars.

The crash resulted in a DNF for Bowman, leaving NASCAR to score him 36th at the finish. Reddick, meanwhile, stumbled home 21st. Bowman still made the playoffs by virtue of the race not producing a new-for-2025 winner.

What Does Making The Playoffs Mean For 23XI Racing Driver?

Although Tyler Reddick will start out the playoffs as a major underdog and one of only two winless drivers in playoff field, at least he’s in. And that’s a really big deal. Not only for Reddick. But for all of 23XI Racing, especially in light of the organization’s ongoing legal battle with NASCAR.

This battle, which puts 23XI at risk of losing its all-important charters next season, has cast a shadow on the organization’s success this year. And it’s also created significant uncertainty in connection with the future of the organization.

On the track, however, 23XI has had reason to celebrate. Both Reddick and teammate Bubba Wallace, who won several weeks at Indianapolis to punch his ticket, are now in the playoffs. A third 23XI Racing driver, rookie Riley Herbst, did not qualify.

Reddick, who left Richard Childress Racing for 23XI in 2023, has now made the playoffs in five consecutive seasons. But to mount a deep run in these playoffs, he will likely have his work cut out for him.

“We’ll certainly need to be on top of it every round,” Reddick said. “We’re capable of it. We just haven’t done it.”

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
Jared Turner is a motorsports writer who has covered NASCAR for 20 years. He has interviewed over 20 NASCAR Hall of Famers and around 100 drivers, crew chiefs, and team owners, both past and present. He has also covered the sport for FOX Sports (where he was a two-time recipient of the FOX “X” Award for “Xtraordinary” job performance), NASCAR.com, Sporting News, NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, the SPEED network, and plenty of other online and print-only publications throughout his career. Notably, Jared has penned dozens of articles for NASCAR souvenir programs, including several featured prominently in Daytona 500 keepsakes. A Virginia Press Association award winner and former member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Jared has racked up accolades both for his writing and his academic work. He studied both Communication and Psychology at Virginia Tech, where he was permanently enshrined in Phi Beta Kappa — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Jared excels at feature writing and opinion writing, much of which stems from his dedication to all levels of racing.
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