NASCAR: Surprise Tyler Reddick 23XI departure rumor emerges

As a die-hard NASCAR fan with decades of racing passion under my belt, I can’t help but feel elated by the recent turn of events. The preliminary injunction granted to 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports is not just a victory for these teams, but a significant step forward for the sport as a whole.

Last week, a judge decided in support of both 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, permitting them to complete their charter contracts, even as they carry on with their ongoing antitrust case against NASCAR.

In simpler terms, the preliminary ruling allows these two teams to compete as established teams in the year 2025, retaining their current team charters. This move increases the total number of active charters from 30 to 34.

Furthermore, since NASCAR’s appeal request was turned down, they can now proceed with their original plan of acquiring one charter from Stewart-Haas Racing. This acquisition would result in them having three charters for the 2025 season, ensuring that NASCAR will be able to field the standard 36 chartered teams as planned.

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing the big winners

23XI Racing has revealed that Riley Herbst will team up with Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick starting from 2025, while Front Row Motorsports is anticipated to field Zane Smith along with Todd Gilliland and Noah Gragson in the same year.

But one overlooked aspect of this decision is that it prevented the potential for an extremely damaging situation for 23XI Racing, one which actually reportedly played a part in the judge’s ruling.

If 23XI Racing hadn’t been designated as a charter team for the 2025 season, Tyler Reddick, who won three races and was Toyota’s sole representative in the Championship 4 in 2024, would have had the opportunity to join another team due to his contract, which stipulates that he drives a chartered car.

If no preliminary injunction is entered by December 18, 2024, Tyler Reddick will be considered a “free agent,” which means that other teams would already have the potential to sign him as of that date, regardless of any plans he may or may not have with team 23XI.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) December 18, 2024

In that situation, since the two charter spots belonging to Stewart-Haas Racing were still up for grabs, it wouldn’t be surprising if he managed to secure one.

Luckily, Reddick won’t have to face that situation. Instead, he will be driving the No. 45 Toyota for another year with Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan’s team in 2025.

It’s rumored that both Wallace and Corey Heim, like Reddick, held talks with the team about exploring alternatives for the upcoming season. Similarly, Herbst and Gragson, according to reports, have clauses in their contracts that allow them to consider other opportunities, just as Front Row Motorsports has allowed for Gragson.

23Xi’s driver, Heim, has a deal with them and he sent an email to the team (just like Bubba did) expressing their need for clarification to help them decide whether to entertain offers from other teams. It seems that Heim’s contract may involve participation in certain Cup races, which could be affected if they were required to compete in open cars instead.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) December 18, 2024

In 2025, the highly anticipated 67th edition of the Daytona 500 will kick off the NASCAR Cup Series season on February 16, a Sunday. Nicknamed “The Great American Race,” this event will be broadcast live on Fox, starting at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time, straight from Daytona International Speedway.

2024-12-24 16:02

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