23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin hinted that the team could be closing in on a new contract for driver Tyler Reddick during the latest episode of his podcast Actions Detrimental.
Meeting high expectations during a contract year is something that every professional athlete will likely deal with during their career.
This season, rumor has it that several big names are set to hit the NASCAR free agent market, with the eyes of the NASCAR fandom focused on their performances this season.
So far, names like Kyle Busch have struggled to show signs of any improvement in 2025, while on the other end, 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick chose his contract season to go above and beyond.
Reddick’s move from Richard Childress Racing to 23XI Racing ahead of the 2023 season was questionable, though it has paid dividends for the 30-year-old, scoring wins in their first two seasons together.
Last season, Reddick, mired in personal troubles and the then ongoing lawsuit between 23XI and NASCAR, went winless for the first time since 2022 and the first time since signing with 23XI in 2023.
But in a quick turn of events, the question facing 23XI Racing is whether they will be able to retain NASCAR’s hottest free agent?
This year, with Reddick set to hit the market at year’s end, the California native is at new heights.
With his three wins in a row, Reddick is the first driver to win the first three races in a NASCAR Cup Series season, breaking his own personal record single-season wins record, as well as 23XI’s single-season record to boot.
While Reddick was setting himself up for a potentially dramatic free agency, with spots at several teams reportedly opening up, 23XI Racing could be heading towards re-signing their star veteran driver.
During the latest episode of his podcast Actions Detrimental, Denny Hamlin, who owns 23XI Racing alongside NBA legend Michael Jordan, was jokingly asked by a co-host if he and Jordan were “backing up the Brink’s truck” to pay Reddick.
In response, Hamlin laughed, saying they were ready to pay, then dropped a line that many fans are interpreting as confirmation that talks to re-sign Reddick are coming to a close, with Hamlin saying, “That’ll be done soon.”
“No doubt. That’ll be done soon.” — Denny Hamlin
While Hamlin did not go into full detail, he went on to say that Reddick is deserving of everything coming to him.
“He deserves everything he gets,” Hamlin said. “He’s just done a phenomenal job.”
If Reddick does re-sign with 23XI Racing soon, his 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Silly Season storyline would be similar to that of Kyle Larson.
At the start of the season, Larson was one of the hottest names that was set to hit the free agent board at year’s end. But that was before Hendrick Motorsports re-signed the driver ahead of the Daytona 500, bringing this storyline that never came to be to a swift end.
Much like Larson, there was never any real suggestion that Reddick could leave 23XI at the end of the season.
In fact, most of the discussions surrounding Reddick potentially leaving were speculation from fans who were looking at the potentially volatile free agent market at your end.
Nonetheless, it seems that 23XI is the right place for Reddick, as the team has continued to improve on track and is looking to add to its competitive lineup in the coming year with the potential promotion of top prospect Corey Heim.
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