NASCAR has penalized the No. 45 Cup Series race team of Tyler Reddick for violations found in the pre-qualifying session ahead of Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway.
The No. 45 team was found in violation of Section 14.11.2.1.A of the NASCAR Rule Book per NASCAR.com, which states that, “Any and all ballast added to the vehicle must be secured inside a ballast container(s). … Additional ballast containers will not be permitted to be added to the chassis.” Competition officials docked the team 10 points in both the drivers and owners standings.
The 23XI Racing team lost its pit-stall selection for the race after NASCAR discovered the infraction Friday. In addition, NASCAR ejected crew chief Billy Scott for the remainder of the race weekend. 23XI Racing performance director Dave Rogers filled in for Scott as Reddick raced his way to a 22nd-place finish.
Reddick, 27, is in his fourth full season in the Cup Series and first with 23XI Racing. He currently sits 10th in the points standings, having notched a victory in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas on March 26. Reddick has added six top 10s and four top 5s in 13 starts this season.
He is coming off a breakout season in 2022 — his last driving the No. 8 car for Richard Childress Racing. Reddick claimed three victories and finished 14th in the final points standings.
Denny Hamlin believes Tyler Reddick can ‘carry’ 23XI Racing for years to come
Originally slated to join 23XI Racing in 2024, Reddick came over a year early. He replaced Kurt Busch, who missed the second half of the 2022 campaign with a head injury and retired from full-time racing at the end of the season. 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin knows he made the right decision to bring Reddick aboard, and said back in March that he can carry the race team for years to come.
Yeah, I mean, it’s why I went after him as early as I did,” Hamlin said. “I wanted to get the jump on all the other teams because I knew he was going to be the most coveted free agent in a very very long time. That’s why I got the jump on it. It cost me a lot of money to do it but it pays dividends.
“You have to have that driver that you feel like can carry you to championships and wins for decades. I think we have that guy. It’s not going to stop at road courses. Dirt racing, short tracks, speedways, he’s got what it takes on every racetrack we go to.”
