Can time, success heal wound between Tyler Reddick and RCR?
By Bob Pockrass
FOX Sports activities NASCAR Author
Richard Childress knew Tyler Reddick might go away Richard Childress Racing after the 2023 season, so Reddick agreeing to affix 23XI Racing in 2024 wasn’t a shock.
However Childress, talking briefly earlier than the race Sunday at Pocono, could not disguise his disappointment. He mentioned he’s not bitter on the younger driver’s resolution, simply disillusioned.
The largest query is whether or not that disappointment would end in Childress making an attempt to maneuver Reddick out of the No. 8 Cup automotive subsequent 12 months.
Childress appears like somebody who’s going to maintain his choices open. He has been on this sport lengthy sufficient to know {that a} lame duck state of affairs for a whole season will not be straightforward but in addition is aware of a stable race-car driver and staff can push by way of it, as Kevin Harvick did at RCR with 4 wins and a third-place end within the standings in 2013.
“I’ve a contract with him in 2023,” Childress answered when requested if Reddick might be again within the No. 8 automotive. “He’ll be at RCR in 2023.”
When it was talked about that he did not say the No. 8 automotive, Childress quipped: “You mentioned that, not me.”
Tyler Reddick explains his resolution to affix 23XI Racing
Why make this resolution to go to 23XI Racing now? Tyler Reddick mentioned he sees what 23XI Racing is doing and needed to be part of it.
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Childress mentioned he has not talked with Reddick about his displeasure. Reddick, who seems protected to make the 2022 playoffs due to his Highway America win, hopes that performances resembling his second-place run Sunday at Pocono can heal wounds.
“If we maintain working good, I am positive we’ll easy issues over,” Reddick mentioned about his relationship with Childress.
That in all probability is true. Time has a manner of therapeutic, and Childress mentioned he’s dedicated to creating positive the staff does effectively when requested about Reddick being again subsequent season.
“Subsequent 12 months is a very long time off,” Childress mentioned. “I dedicated to his staff to offer them all the things they wanted to win the championship and to exit in 2023 and provides them all the things they should win the championship.
“I’ve dedicated that to our race staff.”
Learn between the strains, and it appears like Childress is saying that if he has an opportunity to land somebody he believes is nice or higher than Reddick in 2023, he would possibly attempt to discover a option to put that driver within the No. 8 automotive. Or he would possibly simply be disillusioned sufficient that he needs to make Reddick sweat by way of the rumor mill very like Childress now has to sweat talks with potential sponsors for subsequent 12 months and past.
Once more, efficiency may help put that discuss to relaxation. Reddick sits 14th within the standings. Some would say that end at Pocono (he crossed the road in fourth after which moved as much as second) validated his statements that he stays centered on doing his greatest at RCR by way of 2024.
“None of us [on the team] have ever doubted it, however definitely I believe others have on how that was going to go,” Reddick mentioned.
“We do not really want different individuals’s validation to know that we’re doing the precise issues, nevertheless it’s positively good to go on the market and knock off top-5 finishes.”
Tyler Reddick on probably leaving RCR at finish of season
Tyler Reddick says he has had no discussions with anybody at RCR (initiated by him and/or the staff) about the potential for him leaving after this season.
The entire Reddick drama might be what led to trade chatter final week of even the potential for Kyle Busch going to drive for Childress, who bought into an altercation with Busch after a race at Kansas in 2011.
Representatives from each side indicated that Busch driving for Childress possible will not occur (however in NASCAR, by no means say by no means, proper?) and that extra possible than not, Reddick might be within the No. 8 automotive subsequent 12 months. RCR did tease on social media a Cup driver announcement for subsequent week with a shadow picture that seems to be Xfinity Sequence driver Austin Hill, however there was no indication it had something to do with the Reddick state of affairs.
“It was no shock that he was going to in all probability go wherever the cash was in ’24,” Childress mentioned. “We made a suggestion, and his agent mentioned, ‘Your provide is nearly as good as anybody.'”
Whereas Childress apparently made a aggressive provide, Reddick mentioned in the course of the 23XI announcement that he was influenced closely by 23XI’s plans for the long run and needed to be a part of it.
For Childress, the toughest half to recover from was the timing. He did not like being informed the morning of the announcement. He is aware of rumors and the data would possibly get leaked, however he felt like he ought to have been given extra time.
“The largest shock was when he got here to us lower than one hour earlier than the announcement. I do not assume it confirmed any respect for his race staff or everybody who bought him the place he’s,” Childress mentioned.
“Lower than one hour earlier than the announcement? Quite a lot of stuff swirls round an 18-month announcement.”
That’s the reason Childress, in a press release after Reddick’s announcement, mentioned the timing could not be worse.
“The largest factor is you must come to me respectfully and say, ‘Hey, I’ve signed, I need to do one thing, how do you assume we must always make a joint announcement?'” Childress mentioned Sunday.
“None of that occurred. I am not upset he is going wherever he is going. However the best way it was dealt with was very unprofessional. … I requested them to attend till the tip of the 12 months and let’s do it then.”
What to observe for
Indianapolis Motor Speedway has changed the curbing the place splitters bought torn off final 12 months and eliminated a number of the humps put in turns that launched automobiles that missed the corners.
That may require NASCAR to probably officiate monitor limits but in addition will maintain the race from having the mind-boggling wrecks from a 12 months in the past.
So how NASCAR officiates the race might be one thing to observe.
The opposite story to observe? Ty Gibbs.
Gibbs will make his second consecutive begin instead of Kurt Busch, who’s struggling concussion-type signs after a crash at Pocono in qualifying Saturday.
“I’m devoted to specializing in my restoration and getting again on the monitor,” Busch mentioned.
The 19-year-old Gibbs completed sixteenth in his debut at Pocono. He has a road-course win in his Xfinity profession, and the way he races in a Cup highway course could possibly be a sign of how his abilities correlate with the Subsequent Gen automotive.
Considering out loud
For each race since 2019, NASCAR’s post-race technical inspection course of labored high quality. It takes the highest two automobiles for a whole teardown, and generally a random for an additional teardown.
The automobiles from third by way of fifth undergo a minimal course of to examine alignment, weights and a visible look by inspectors. As soon as they cross, they’re launched to be loaded on to the haulers and go away the monitor.
However at Pocono final week, that course of resulted within the eventual race-winning automotive by no means being absolutely torn aside. That is as a result of the highest two automobiles each failed inspection — after the third-place automotive of Chase Elliott already had been launched from its much less vigorous checks.
Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch disqualified after Pocono race
Quick Ideas: NASCAR will need to have felt that the JGR violations had been egregious to disqualify the highest two ending automobiles Sunday at Pocono.
Ought to NASCAR maintain the third-place automotive till not less than the second-place automotive passes tech? Ought to it maintain the highest 5? Does it want to carry all automobiles? What could be the road?
The one completely honest factor to do could be to maintain all automobiles loaded in haulers and never allowed to go away till a automotive passes tech. However that’s holding groups on the monitor for not less than one other hour, if not longer.
The one factor that Sunday proved is that the third-place automotive ought to be held. And my guess is till all the highest three get disqualified in someday, then take into account holding the highest 4 or 5.
Social highlight
They mentioned it
“If he needs to maintain it, he can maintain it so far as I am involved. He crossed the end line first.” — Chase Elliott on whether or not he needs the trophy from DQ’d winner Denny Hamlin
Bob Pockrass has spent many years masking motorsports, together with the previous 30 Daytona 500s. He joined FOX Sports activities in 2019 following stints at ESPN, Sporting Information, NASCAR Scene journal and The (Daytona Seashore) Information-Journal. Observe him on Twitter and Instagram @bobpockrass. Searching for extra NASCAR content material? Join the FOX Sports activities NASCAR Publication with Bob Pockrass!
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