“Racing world has taken a back seat”: Tyler Reddick explains his mindset before Charlotte as his son was hospitalized for a major medical reason

At the moment, racing and playoff points are secondary for Tyler Reddick, who has his full attention on his four-month-old son, Rookie, and his family. Reddick said he will try his best to do well, but Rookie remains his priority.

Born in May 2025, Rookie has been in a cardiovascular intensive care unit in North Carolina since last week after presenting signs of heart failure. He has been receiving treatment, including the installation of a pacemaker.

Reddick’s wife, Alexa, recently gave an update, saying the four-month-old baby has shown signs of improvement. The family remains guarded, as Rookie continues to be tightly monitored at the hospital.

On Saturday, journalist Noah Lewis tweeted:

"Tyler Reddick says, 'This week, everything going on in the racing world has taken a back seat, as it should.' Says the focus is certainly on his young son Rookie and their family. Reddick says he’ll be giving it his best effort but that points and advancement aren’t at the forefront of thought."

Noah Lewis

@Noah_Lewis1

Tyler Reddick says, “this week, everything going on in the racing world has taken a back seat, as it should.” Says the focus is certainly on his young son Rookie and their family. Reddick says he’ll be giving it his best effort but that points and advancement aren’t at the

Tyler Reddick, in 31 races this year, has managed six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes, while also securing one pole position. Although he has not won any race this season, Reddick took the regular-season title and passed the Round of 8 in the playoffs, so his chance of winning the championship is still on.

He also averaged 14.9 for his finishing positions on the track, suggesting that he has been extremely steady.

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Tyler Reddick reflects on helping Bubba Wallace for the lead after ‘tough day’ in Kansas

Tyler Reddick weighed in on the challenging day at last week's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, where, despite a fast Toyota Camry, pit road struggles hindered his performance. Starting 12th, he fell outside the top-20 early in the race and couldn’t advance beyond 14th through both stages.

During the overtime restart, Reddick described how he tried to push teammate Bubba Wallace, who was leading at the time, to help him maintain the lead. He said (via NBC Sports):

"I just tried to give (Wallace) the best push I could. I was really fortunate the previous restart that he was able to hold the lead. I don’t know, I tried to push him, and we just got separated. Obviously, I want to push him out, try to help him win, and then obviously keep the gap closed up to try to be in second and have a shot at it myself."

"It was a tough day. I really thought our beast Toyota Camry was really fast. We just had struggles on pit road. That’s part of racing. It’s tough" he added.

Although Reddick and Wallace briefly worked well together, they ultimately got separated, and an aggressive battle with Denny Hamlin near the end cost Wallace the win, finishing fifth, with Reddick at seventh.