Tyler Reddick’s ambitions in the Tyler Reddick NASCAR In-Season Challenge came to an abrupt halt after losing a tense semi-final at Dover Motor Speedway. Despite early momentum and a strong showing throughout the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400, Reddick’s campaign ended when Ty Gibbs outmaneuvered him during the final chaotic laps, leaving 23XI Racing and its star driver to look ahead to the next opportunities.
Reddick’s Challenging Semi-Final Clash and Elimination
Entering the tournament’s second-to-last round as the No. 23 seed, Tyler Reddick had rebounded from a slow start in the seeding rounds—a stretch that featured a best finish of 13th at Michigan—to assemble three consecutive top-six results and eliminate strong contenders, including Kyle Larson and Carson Hocevar. This propelled him into a critical showdown at Dover, where the 23XI Racing driver took on Ty Gibbs, the No. 6 seed, amid mounting pressure.
Throughout the afternoon, Reddick consistently ran among the frontrunners, at one point gaining the advantage off pit road following a red-flag restart with only nine laps to go. Yet, his fortunes shifted swiftly when starting ninth—just ahead of Gibbs in twelfth—on the restart. As the racing intensified, Reddick found himself boxed in on the inside lane behind a slowing Austin Dillon, while Gibbs capitalized on cleaner air up high to surge past. Soon after, Christopher Bell’s spin triggered a caution, setting up a two-lap overtime sprint. The final shootout saw Gibbs restart seventh on the inside, while Reddick lined up eighth outside, but again, lane choice favored Gibbs as he bolted into fifth, leaving Reddick unable to recover further in the scramble.
After yet another caution and restart, Ty Gibbs held onto his position, locking his spot in the finale and relegating Tyler Reddick to a 12th-place result. The defeat marked the end of Reddick’s in-season title hopes for 2024 despite a spirited effort through the knockout rounds. Reflecting on the weekend’s challenges, Reddick posted on X,
“So close to making the final round, but just wasn’t meant to be. Appreciate everyone’s effort and everything that has gone into making this in-season challenge happen.”
—Tyler Reddick, Driver
Ty Gibbs now advances to an Indianapolis final against Ty Dillon. Meanwhile, Indianapolis remains a notable and unfinished venue for Reddick as he prepares for future opportunities.
Regaining Momentum Toward Season’s End
Despite the heartbreak from the Dover exit, Tyler Reddick’s 2025 Cup Series campaign remains on stable footing. With only five regular season races left, he sits 156 points above the playoff cutline and has registered eight top-ten finishes so far. Given that twelve different drivers have won races this season, only a handful of playoff berths are still up for grabs, and Reddick’s consistent form has nearly secured his postseason presence—barring an unlikely flurry of new winners in the closing stretch.
The main challenge facing Reddick and the No. 45 toyota/”>Toyota team is rediscovering the dominant pace that has eluded them in recent weeks. In six of the last seven races, the 23XI driver hasn’t led a lap, even though he’s often been in contention near the front. The looming visit to Indianapolis, however, offers a critical chance to break the trend and reinvigorate the campaign’s momentum at just the right moment.
Indianapolis: A Crucial Test for Redemption
Indianapolis has special significance in Reddick’s career. He finished eighth at the Brickyard 400 in 2020 with RCR and achieved a runner-up spot there last year for 23XI Racing. When asked about his outlook ahead of racing at the iconic track, Reddick struck a tone reflecting recent challenges, telling Frontstretch,
“Hard to say. We’ve just been struggling a bit. We’re just not our normal selves. So, hard to say, honestly,”
he told Frontstretch. —Tyler Reddick, Driver
For Reddick and his team, Indianapolis represents an opportunity to address recent frustrations and reestablish themselves as frontrunners before the playoffs begin. With the race at the Brickyard looming, both Reddick and the organization are looking to turn lessons from Dover and the In-Season Challenge into renewed momentum.
Off-Track Uncertainty Surrounds 23XI Racing
Reddick’s situation is further complicated by issues outside the cockpit. The 23XI Racing team—co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin—is currently involved in a legal dispute with NASCAR tied to an antitrust lawsuit. As a result, the team has lost its automatic grid positions, and rumors persist regarding a contract exit clause for Reddick. Although the team remains intact for now, off-track tensions add another layer of uncertainty to the coming weeks.
For Tyler Reddick, the focus will be on making the most of the upcoming events, while closely watching the outcome of the In-Season Challenge finale from the sidelines. As the regular season draws to a close, attention will remain firmly on the track as he seeks to secure his postseason berth and chase new victories with 23XI Racing.
