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“Now They Got Kyle..” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Feels Tyler Reddick Will Be a “Lame Duck” at RCR Despite Assurances From Richard Childress

Published 09/14/2022, 12:25 PM EDT

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Former NASCAR driver and Hall of Famer, Dale Earnhardt Jr speculates on the situation surrounding the future of 23XI import, Tyler Reddick after Kyle Busch was announced to drive for RCR from the 2023 season onward.

Junior stated, “I think he already had his mind wrapped around that possibility because you know he was gonna stay there and they go and hire Kyle to come there next year. So I think he already knew he might be there for another year and that was gonna be what they call a lame duck year or whatever. I don’t think he’ll run the Daytona 500 for RCR and Chevrolet. I just don’t think they have an interest in doing that now.”

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He concluded by saying, “Now they got Kyle they can move forward. They sell out the rest of his contract, I don’t know.”

What happens to Tyler Reddick in 2023?

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Reddick’s future remains under speculation after RCR signed Kyle Busch. It is now known that Reddick will not be driving the number 8 car and neither will he be paired with his crew chief for the next season.

USA Today via Reuters

All we know is that RCR has a contract to fulfil for Reddick, which means they will have to give him a ride for the next season probably in a third charter. However, there lies the consideration that adding a third charter would come with at least a $20 million bill attached to it. Since we know that Reddick would be headed to a rival team in 2024, this somehow does not feel to be the option RCR would be willing to take.

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WATCH THIS STORY: Daniel Suarez Slams JGR, Who Previously Fired Him, For Kyle Busch Situation Amidst Talks of Replacing Him With “Ok” Ty Gibbs

In case the charter system does not work out for RCR, they might be more inclined towards a contractual buyout with Reddick. That would see his departure from RCR altogether and the only place for him to go would be at 23XI. Though a year ahead of his agreed terms, there still might be a chance for him to possibly replace Kurt Busch. However, even that comes with a question mark, what if Busch decides to return next year? So all in all the situation with Reddick at this point in time seems to be a sticky one.

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Written by:

Srijan Mandal

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Srijan Mandal is a NASCAR author at EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Master’s in Journalism and has been writing for his own blog as well, covering NASCAR, F1, F2, W Series, MotoGP, DTM, IndyCar, WRC, and WEC. Following motorsports for more than a decade, he has become a devout supporter of McLaren Racing, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Bubba Wallace, Sir Lewis Hamilton, and Ayrton Senna.
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Edited by:

Nizamul Haque Bhuyan