In the team’s third year of existence, the 23XI Racing #45 team made the Championship Four. Along with the Championship Four appearance, Tyler Reddick nabbed the regular season championship in a gutsy drive at Darlington. It has been incredible growth for this team, as they have progressively improved each season. Will the next step to be hoisting the championship trophy at Phoenix? There might be 37 Days to Daytona, but the 23XI Racing #45 team has their eyes set on Phoenix for 2025.
The #45 Team
Driver: Tyler Reddick
Crew Chief: Billy Scott
Sponsors: Monster Energy, McDonald’s, Jordan Brand
2024 Statistics: 3 Wins, 12 Top-5s, 21 Top-10s, 3 Poles, 13.2 Average Finish
2025 Season Preview
Conquering Phoenix
During the Championship Race, it was evident that Tyler Reddick was the slowest of the Championship Four. While competing with the Penske duo was tough, Reddick could barely hold on to a Top-5 spot throughout the race. Honestly, it took a herculean (and over-aggressive) move on a restart to even put the 45 car in somewhat contention. If Reddick is able to return to Phoenix competing for a championship, their setup has to be better if there is a hope to bring home 23XI’s first championship.
Maintain the Consistency
After 2023, the big bugaboo for Tyler Reddick and the 45 team was their constant race-ruining mistakes. A huge credit has to be given to the team though, as they managed to drastically cut down on unforced errors throughout 2024. With a successful season in the rearview, will the team manage to maintain those high standards? In theory, it should be a straight forward effort. However, 3 of the final 4 races of the season saw those mistakes creep back in.
Lawsuit Distractions
The 23XI Racing piece of the ongoing lawsuit with NASCAR is only going to be addressed here, unless there is breaking develops before the other two teams are covered. Obviously, the initial filing of the lawsuit did not prove to be a distraction. The 45 team managed to win their way to the Championship Four. However, a lengthy legal battle could start to bleed over into the performance side of the team. Especially considering the addition of a third team, it could become hectic at 23XI Racing.
One thing that is Tyler Reddick specific was the opt-out clause in his contract. According to the court proceedings, Reddick was going to opt out of his deal if 23XI was not granted their chartered status for 2025. Now, there is likely no potential negative fallout from that potential decision. Considering that Reddick’s looming opt-out clause helped sway the judge’s ruling, it turned into a benefit for the team. However, any negative ruling or sway in the lawsuit that could imply a departing Reddick might be something to watch. However, that does not seem likely to happen.
Daytona 500 Outlook
Tyler Reddick notched two trips to victory lane last year. One was the spring Talladega race gifted to him by the nonsense the Ford drivers pulled. The other was during the Bluegreen Vacations Duel race. A precursor for the season to come, Reddick managed to come from the back to win the first duel race. However, the success at superspeedways last year was limited to his two wins. Other than playoff Atlanta, every other superspeedway race saw Reddick finish off the lead lap after being involved in an incident.
Could Toyota finally return to the victory lane at Daytona for a points paying race? Since the NextGen began the Cup car, Toyota has been shutout at the historic track. Granted, Toyotas swept the duels last year, so maybe there is a renewed energy to rev up for it. With that said, the numbers game does not favor the manufacturer. With the 4 open spots, Toyota will hope their opens car can help add numbers to the pack. If there is enough of them there, Tyler Reddick would be as good as any Toyota driver to win the Daytona 500.
Days to Daytona Countdown
40 Days: Team Penske #22; 39 Days – Team Penske #12; 38 Days – Hendrick #24
