Column By: HOLLY CAIN / NASCAR – WELCOME, NC – Richard Childress Racing announced Wednesday that 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and current Xfinity Series championship contender Tyler Reddick will take over the team’s No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Reddick, 23, of Corning, California, currently drives the Richard Childress Racing No. 2 Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series, earning the regular season championship title with five wins, 21 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes in 28 races this season. He’s currently ranked third in the Playoff standings coming off a runner-up finish last week on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL and boasts an impressive 5.8 average finish on the year.
Reddick won the 2018 Xfinity Series title with JR Motorsports and answered his move to RCR in 2019 without missing a beat. With five races remaining on the schedule he has already far exceeded his previous career-best totals in wins, top fives and top 10s.
“It means a lot to me that Richard (Childress), his team and Caterpillar believe in my ability to represent them both on and off the race track,’’ Reddick said Wednesday. “My goal was always to get to race on Sundays, and I’m so excited to achieve that next year with RCR, ECR and Caterpillar.
“I’m excited to take this next step in my career with their support, but also realize I’ve still got a lot of work to do this year with my No. 2 team to bring home the Xfinity Series championship.’’
In two Cup starts this year for Richard Childress Racing – the Daytona 500 and at Kansas Speedway – Reddick earned a top-10 finish (ninth) at Kansas.
Reddick will be replacing rookie Daniel Hemric in the No. 8 RCR Chevrolet. Hemric, a long-time RCR driver, has a pair of top-10 finishes and a season-best fifth place at Talladega Superspeedway in May. He currently leads the 2019 Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings.
