Reddick: “It’s About Celebrating the Wins As a Family”
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By Dennis Krause
Tyler Reddick knew that he had crossed Daytona International Speedway’s start-finish line first. But he didn’t know if he had won.
So many things happened on the 200th and final lap that saw two crashes - one going into turn one and the other coming to the checkered flag - that Reddick just wasn’t sure he had won the biggest race of his career, the Daytona 500.
“I didn’t know if I’d won the race or not. In the moment,” Reddick explained, “I knew I crossed the start-finish line first, but I don’t know if the yellow light was on before I got to the start-finish line and Chase (Elliott) was ahead of me. I didn’t know any of that stuff. Yeah, everyone wrecked, but again, I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. I didn’t want to think I’d won the race and then be told a couple seconds later I hadn’t. That would be devastating, especially after last year running second.
“I was just trying to keep myself in check until I knew I’d won.”
Sean Gardner/Getty Images
The final lap craziness started when Carson Hocevar was spun off the track, giving the lead of the race to Chase Elliott. With a huge push from his 23XI Racing teammate Riley Herbst, Reddick made contact with Elliott off of turn four, causing the Hendrick Motorsports driver and a number of other cars to crash as he took the checkered flag.
It was the only lap Reddick would lead all day.
“I don’t win that race without Riley Herbst,” Reddick declared. “That’s a fact.”
“I think for me, I respect him even more on the frontstretch for — he pushed me to the 38 (Zane Smith). I got to the 38. Now the 9 (Elliott) is in front of me, and I make my move.
“I love that he made the move that at the moment was right for him to win the Daytona 500, and I told him that: Man, I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you in the way that you wanted it to, but you did — in my opinion, he did everything right on that last lap, as well, pushing me and then doing everything he could to win the race for himself.
“Obviously they all crashed, but he did a really good job today, as well.”
Involved in the crash, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. was credited with finishing second, Joey Logano third, and Elliott fourth.
As the raucous celebration with his crew ensued at the start-finish line, Reddick kept looking over his shoulder. Surely his family would be running out to greet him. Where were they?
2025 was an emotional roller-coaster for Reddick - both professionally and personally. He was winless in NASCAR’s Cup Series. Then there was his newborn son’s serious health scare. It was determined that Rookie had a tumor on a kidney that also affected his heart. Late last year, doctors removed the tumor and kidney and Rookie has been recovering well since then.
Nigel Cook/AP Photo
Along with mom, Alexa, and big brother, Beau, Rookie was in Daytona’s Victory Lane to greet his dad.
“I was wondering where my family was as I’m out on the frontstretch doing the interview and everything,” Reddick said. “I thought my — I was just ready for my son, like in the Duel a couple years ago, to come running across the grass, but my wife and everybody was kind of waiting for Victory Lane.
“I didn’t see them out there, but when I was rolling up to Victory Lane, I saw (Daytona International Speedway president) Chip Wile, I saw Beau with Chip. Beau jumped in the car, so that was really fun.
“But yeah, I just remember getting out of the car, and typically I’ve just been able to focus on Beau and my wife, and it’s like Rookie is getting to experience this for the first time, too. Rookie is a trooper, whether it’s been the Thunderbirds blasting over the track, just super loud, stuff I love.
“I think I remember when Beau was really young when the Thunderbirds would go over the track, whatever it was, things that were super chaotic, Beau was okay with, but he’d cry. Rookie, he’s the total opposite. The more crazy it is, whether it’s from me, whether it’s from Beau, whether it’s from the Thunderbirds or just stuff happening around like in Victory Lane, Rookie loves this stuff. The crazier it is, he just starts laughing and loves it. He’s wild, like his dad.”
Judging by the tears streaming down his face, it was important for Reddick to share the moment with his family.
“The emotion I shared with my wife, my sons is — it’s more reflecting on the personal things that we’ve went through, the struggles, the hard times, the uncertainties of knowing what’s going on with Rookie. Is Rookie going to be okay, what’s going on there?
“For us to have this moment in this race, you know, again, everything we went through, the tail end of last year and the off-season getting back under our feet has its own place.”
Nigel Cook/AP Photo
While celebrating with his son Beau may be a lasting image from the 500 - more importantly, it will be a memory of a lifetime for them both.
“Yeah. I mean, it’s super important. I was standing in the grass in front of the start-finish line at Daytona after I’d just won the Daytona 500 and I’m looking for my family. It’s the biggest race you can win as a Cup Series driver, and I’m looking for my family to try to figure out — it’s important for me to celebrate it with them.
“On the way to Victory Lane, being able to pick him up, take him with me into Victory Lane in the car, that’s what it’s all about. Yes, I’m the one in the car driving it, but we go on the road as a family.
“I remember when I was a kid growing up racing dirt,” Reddick recalled, “me and my family went on the road, my family, my sister would make their sacrifices to go on the road with us. It’s about celebrating the wins as a family.
“In the tough times, my son has done a great job of really helping lift my spirits up. I can’t think of a specific moment at this time, but there have been plenty of times I’ve come back to the bus and we’re getting ready to go ahead to the plane when I’ve just been irate or just sad because of something I did on the racetrack, and my son has done a really good job of picking me up in those moments. We share these moments together as a family.”
Sean Gardner/Getty Images
It turns out winning the 500 wasn’t the only milestone reached this weekend at Daytona according to Reddick.
“We got to take like a three-day vacation, do a little Disney cruise out of Canaveral before coming up here on Monday, and it was awesome. Rookie’s always been kind of crawling, but he started to figure it out on the cruise ship, which was fun.
“And then basically ever since we’ve been here in the bus, here at the track from Monday on, he’s been like a speedster crawling fast. He’s seen some of the other kids, some of Briscoe’s kids, some of the other little ones running around the playground that probably weigh less than Rookie — he’s a big kid for his age — walking, and he wants to already do that, too.
“Fun little milestone happened while we were here. He started really crawling fast, and we have to keep up with that, keep him away from the stairs in the bus.”
Another win to celebrate as a family.
Dennis Krause has spent decades covering all forms of motorsports, including over 40 Indianapolis 500s, with stints at WIBA Radio, PIT PASS - Radio’s Premier Motorsports Magazine and Motorsports Minute. Follow him on X @DennisKrause500 or motorsportsminute.bluesky.social or motorsportsminute on Threads or MotorsportsMinute+ on Facebook.