Denny Hamlin believes 'it’s just a matter of time' before Tyler Reddick shows his worth in NASCAR

Denny Hamlin recently spoke glowingly about 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick ahead of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Hamlin's 23XI Racing team has enjoyed two successful seasons since their introduction to NASCAR. The 42-year-old is the co-owner of the team alongside basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan.

After starting their debut season with Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing added Kurt Busch to their line-up for the 2022 season. Last year, Denny Hamlin also managed to rope in two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Tyler Reddick.

Reddick made headlines by signing for the 23XI team midway through the season. Reddick was supposed to join the team in 2024, as his contract with Richard Childress Racing was valid until the end of 2023.

However, Reddick and Hamlin didn’t have to wait until 2024 to join hands. Kurt Busch announced in 2022 that he would step away from full-time racing, which resulted in 23XI Racing announcing that Reddick would be joining the team in 2023.

Making an appearance on Fox’s NASCAR Race Hub, Denny Hamlin spoke about the efforts Reddick was putting in:

“That’s when you start to get great results is when you have the talent and the work effort. That’s when you’re going to see greatness, and I think with Tyler it’s just a matter of time.”

Tyler Reddick had a stellar 2022 season, having qualified for the playoffs on points. The 27-year-old driver scored his first win at Road America on his 92nd start. He went on to win two more races but was eliminated after the round of 16.

Hamlin said on the show:

“In my opinion, generational talents only come around every so often. I remember seeing it, honestly, in Brad Keselowski when he was running five or six laps down in Xfinity. My team asked me, ‘Who’s the next guy that’s going to come up like you did?’ I said, ‘Well, probably Brad.’ He got an opportunity, he took off, and he succeeded.”

“Those guys just don’t come around that often. I’m on the racetrack enough to see Tyler and I’m like, ‘Wow he has got some special stuff.’”

Denny Hamlin confirmed that Reddick was the guy they were looking for and struck gold by signing him for 2023. It’s now up to Reddick to prove whether Denny Hamlin’s gamble was worth it.

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Denny Hamlin compares Tyler Reddick to Kyle Larson

Hamlin added that Reddick could be on a similar career path to 2021 Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson:

“If he just manages it a little bit better, I think he could win as much or more than Kyle Larson in any given year. When Kyle Larson’s the guy you need to go get, you probably should go get him.”

Reddick finished sixth in the Busch Light Clash at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. As he gears up for the season opener at Daytona, all eyes will be on the No.45 driver to prove his worth.