Reddick’s Wild Ride: From Wrecks to Wins with MJ

Reddick’s Wild Ride: From Wrecks to Wins with MJ

Tyler Reddick is on fire. He’s not just winning races; he’s doing it in the most dramatic fashion possible. In his first six races this season, Reddick has already grabbed three wins. That’s a pace only matched by NASCAR legends Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Bill Elliott. “I mean, yeah, I’m on a graphic sharing history with two of the legends of NASCAR racing,” Reddick said on The Pat McAfee Show. “You dream of being able to win races and maybe be a Cup driver. But for us to do it in the way that we have is just truly mind-blowing, honestly.”

Overcoming Chaos

These victories haven’t been easy drives. Reddick described a string of races where things went wrong, but he and his team fought back. At Daytona, a strategy call didn’t work out, but they still managed to claw their way to the front and win. At Echo Park Speedway, his car lost a front fender with just 30 laps left. After a quick fix, he drove back to the lead and won. Then, at Darlington, his car’s alternator failed on lap one. He had to cut off his cooling system and swap batteries. Still, he battled from the back of the pack to get the win.

“Adversity is no problem for Tyler,” McAfee joked, referencing the damaged cars and equipment. “We got no front fender here. We got no alternator…”

Teaming Up with Jordan

A huge part of Reddick’s success this year is his team, 23XI Racing, co-owned by basketball legend Michael Jordan. Reddick spoke about how special it is to share these moments with Jordan. “As a kid growing up, you dream of being a Cup Series driver. You dream of having the opportunity to race in a 500. But I never in my life would have imagined that I would be able to do this with owners like Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin, Curtis Pulk, Jean,” he explained. He highlighted Jordan’s deep involvement and passion for the sport, noting how Jordan is always asking questions and sharing his competitive drive.

Jordan’s excitement in victory lane is legendary. “You see that in his excitement in victory lane. You can tell how much this means to him,” Reddick said. He also mentioned that while he’s not good at golf or fishing like Jordan, he sticks to what he knows best: racing. “There’s a reason I’m a race car driver,” Reddick stated. “I couldn’t sing, I couldn’t dance, and I wasn’t good at any other sport.”

Shoe-gate and Competition

The conversation also touched on a unique celebration tradition. Reddick admitted to drinking beer out of his own sweaty shoe after a win. “I’ve always wanted to do this, but for some reason, just in the heat of the moment, we’re celebrating, we’re doing all this stuff, and I’ve always forgotten to do it,” he said. He described his first attempt at the celebration, noting that it was one of the best beers he’d ever tasted, jokingly adding, “Put a little foot salt in there. You know what I mean? Maybe mix it up.”

McAfee and the crew also discussed the intense competitive nature of athletes like Jordan, comparing him to others like Kobe Bryant and Serena Williams. Reddick believes this competitive fire is something that can be inspiring and potentially rub off on those around them.

Looking Ahead

Reddick is focused on his NASCAR career but admitted he once had the chance to try IndyCar. He tested a simulator for Road America and found the adjustment wasn’t too difficult. However, with the amount of data and work involved in modern NASCAR, he’s had trouble keeping up. “I hope it’ll happen one day, but no plans for this year as of right now,” he said.

His next race is in Martinsville, a track he hasn’t had much success at. “One of my worst racetracks, but until now, so who knows? I might win,” Reddick said with a smile. The team is celebrating his current success and excited to see what he does next.

Source: Tyler Reddick speaks on drinking out of his SWEATY SHOE? | The Pat McAfee Show (YouTube)