Over the past few years, Tyler Reddick has surely established himself as one of the elite drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series. The 23XI Racing driver made a name for himself in road course racing last year as he entered the round of 8 in the playoffs. Ahead of the start of the new season, the 28-year-old has also been named an awardee by NASCAR Drive for Diversity in the National Series Driver category.

Additionally, the driver of the #45 car won two races in the 2023 season: the Circuit of the Americas and the playoff race in Kansas. He may not be seen as one of the title contenders in the competition today, but he certainly is getting there. This award will be a confidence booster for the 28-year-old, just a week before the new season starts.

Here’s who all are getting awarded in different categories alongside Tyler Reddick  

The nominees’ list had several categories, and Tyler Reddick was the only Cup Series driver nominated. However, some awardees work in NASCAR’s highest division, just not as drivers. Trackhouse Racing crew member and motorsports veteran Mike Metcalf was nominated for the Crew Member award.

Other nominees included Zach Herrin for Developmental Series driver, Keurig Dr. Pepper for Partner, Chicago Public Schools for Institution, Chandler Love for Outstanding Intern, Team Penske’s Jefferson Hodges for Sam Belnavis Industry Ambassador, Venturini Motorsports for Team, Phoenix Raceway for Track, and Katie Hettinger for Young Driver.

While everyone receiving an award is a deserving nominee, Tyler Reddick has the biggest name on it. The 23XI Racing star has yet to comment on the honor, but one can assume that it will be something he will be proud of. The 28-year-old has proven time and again just how competitive 23XI was last year, and he will be looking for more of the same this year as well.

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Tyler Reddick may not have commented on his nomination yet, but he did have some words about the upcoming Clash at the Castle event this Sunday. The 28-year-old will not be reading too much into how the weekend goes, as according to him, it does not always serve as a tone-setter for the Cup season.

23XI Racing Star is not putting much stock in Clash results

That is something he learned last year. Both Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick ran well in the 2023 edition of the Clash. However, when the Cup Series regular season began, things did not go their way. He finished P6 in the pre-season race but failed to finish in the top 30 in the first couple of races of the regular season.

“You look at us last year as my first outing with Toyota and 23XI, and we had a pretty solid day. Bubba [Wallace] was pretty strong. Then we went to Daytona and Fontana and Vegas, and had three weeks of a really rough skid to start the year,” he said as per RACER.

“So, it doesn’t always necessarily guarantee (anything). If you can come in here and be one of the fastest cars, run up front, do all the right things, it certainly gets your confidence going in the right direction as you get ready for the Daytona 500,” the 23XI Racing driver added.

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It’s safe to say that Tyler Reddick won’t be putting much stock into the Clash and will serve it as a practice event rather than a precursor. However, that does not mean that he won’t try and win the exhibition race. It will be interesting to see how the 28-year-old performs in the new-look Toyota Camry.