Tyler Reddick’s 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season has been a tough slog. Eliminated from the playoffs in the Round of 12, he missed the cut by 15 points despite a pole at the Charlotte Roval. No wins, 12 top-10s, and an average finish of around 14.75 in 32 races, it’s a far cry from his 2024 Championship 4 run, leaving fans and the 23XI Racing driver questioning what went wrong.

But the track’s been the least of his worries. Off it, Reddick and his wife, Alexa, are facing a nightmare no parent should.

Rookie is battling hard

Their newborn son, affectionately called “Rookie,” is battling a tumor that’s choking his renal vein and artery, forcing his heart to pump harder and enlarging it. Rookie’s been in the cardiovascular ICU at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina, showing signs of heart failure that were missed for months. Alexa’s been the family’s rock, sharing updates on Instagram that tug at the heart.

In her story today, she shared an update: “Rookie will have surgery Tuesday. He will return to CVICU, where they will monitor his heart and BP while his renin slowly drops. Please keep lifting our cookie in prayer.”

Last week, she had posted: “Rookie has a tumor that’s ‘choking’ the renal vein and renal artery. Telling the heart, ‘Hey, I’m not getting enough blood… pump harder.’ This causes the enlarged heart. He will need the entire kidney removed as it is not believed to be functioning any longer. He will undergo open surgery to remove his right kidney. We’re just not sure when.” The wait’s been agony, with Rookie’s tiny body fighting while doctors plan the open surgery.

Alexa’s words capture the terror of a missed diagnosis: “After a run around for months with the pediatrician’s office, I knew what was going on was something bigger. Our sweet Rookie was showing signs of heart failure that were being missed.”

The family is leaning on faith and the Levine team, trusting God, Rookie, and doctors for better days. Tyler Reddick’s been by his son’s side, sharing his own update before Charlotte: “Healthier is probably not the right word, but I’ve never seen him happier. His color looks good. He’s gained weight. So, on one hand, I’m really happy and it makes me feel great that he’s doing much better right now, but certainly we have some hurdles we have to get through first before thinking about what comes next.”

Tyler’s torn, joy at Rookie’s smiles and color, but dread for the surgery and recovery. It’s a dad’s love laid bare, racing second to his boy’s fight.

The Reddicks’ ordeal stands in stark contrast to the on-track spotlight, where his team owner, Denny Hamlin, grabbed pole for the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Hamlin’s Vegas Pole boosts JGR

Hamlin’s 29.213-second lap edged Chase Briscoe by 0.036 and Christopher Bell by 0.047, locking in a 1-2-3 for JGR. “I felt good about it,” Hamlin said. “There wasn’t a whole lot left out there for it, but great job getting my car good. It was good in the short run practice as well, but we gotta work on it in the long run for tomorrow. Saturday has really been our Achilles heel at this race track, and that’s a great way to turn that around.”

On winning to lock into the Championship 4: “Going through the swings of this race track, it’s going to go through so many transitions from Saturday to the beginning of Sunday and the end of Sunday. Trying to prepare and set up your car for the end of Sunday, but having to deal with it on Saturday is always a challenge for us at this race track. But the team did a great job of putting a big ‘ol bandaid on it today, and hopefully tomorrow is going to be better.”

Hamlin’s 47th career pole and fourth of 2025 has him chasing win No. 60, an automatic ticket to Phoenix. Hendrick’s trio, Chase Elliott fourth, William Byron fifth, Kyle Larson sixth, follow close, with 23XI’s Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick seventh and eighth.

Ty Gibbs rounds out the top 10. Ryan Blaney, the 2023 champ, starts 14th, the lone playoff driver outside the top 10. The Round of 8’s high-speed tri-oval sets up a wild opener, with Hamlin’s pole giving JGR an edge in the title fight.