Dr. Diandra: Tyler Reddick’s move to 23XI Racing promising but questions remain

The numbers from the first 11 races of the 2023 season indicate that Tyler Reddick’s move to 23XI Racing appears to be paying off. With more than two-thirds of the season left, though, questions remain about Reddick’s championship potential with his new team.

I was much more confident that Kyle Busch moving to RCR would benefit Busch than I was that Reddick’s move away from RCR would be good for him. In contrast to RCR’s storied history, 23XI turns three this year.

Newness is not necessarily a negative, as Trackhouse Racing proved last year. But it’s one thing for one of the best drivers in NASCAR history to bring his trove of experience to a well-established team. It’s another for a driver in his fourth year of full-time Cup Series competition to join a team still finding its feet. But I’m happy to report that Reddick seems to be doing just as well with his new team as Busch is with his.

After 11 races, Reddick is performing better at 23XI than he did at RCR last year in most metrics. After starting 2023 with two DNFs, Reddick won at COTA, the sixth race overall and the first road course of the season.

As the table below shows, Reddick has four top-five finishes in 2023 compared to three in 2022. This year, he was running 20th or better when the checkered flag flew 72.7% of the time.

Reddick hasn’t led as many laps this year as last, but the current points system rewards wins and good finishes, not leading laps. Reddick’s 319 points put him in sixth place, 51 points behind leader Ross Chastain.

Given the many points penalties this year, season standings provide an incomplete picture of a driver’s status relative to his peers. Reddick’s average finish of 14.5 is the 10th best among all full-time drivers. Alex Bowman has