In a race filled with emotions and challenges, Tyler Reddick competed this Sunday with the hope of keeping his championship aspirations alive. The driver’s personal situation, marked by the recent revelation that his newborn son was diagnosed with a chest tumor affecting his heart, added a layer of complexity to the competition. Rookie, the second child of Tyler and Alexa Reddick, was born in May. Alexa shared details last week about the serious health complications her son is facing. The couple provided an update before the race at The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Tyler was starting from the pole position and needed a win to stay in contention for the Cup Series title. The victory in the race went to Shane van Gisbergen, which meant Reddick’s elimination from the playoffs. Reddick finished in tenth position. Alexa Reddick, through social media, shared information about Rookie’s condition after Tyler’s outstanding performance. According to her account, the little one has a “tumor that is ‘suffocating’ the renal vein and artery, which indicates to the heart ‘Hey, I’m not getting enough blood… pump harder'”. The situation has caused an enlargement of the heart and will require the removal of a kidney because the doctors determined that it is no longer functioning correctly. “He will undergo open surgery to remove his right kidney. We are not sure when,” wrote Alexa. “Waiting is okay right now to give his heart a break while he is on blood pressure medication. They hope his heart will fully recover because it was just an innocent bystander. We have answers, but a journey ahead to bring our little Cookie home.” Alexa added that her son enjoyed spending time playing with bubbles, interacting with the medical staff. Tyler Reddick had kept his son’s health situation private until his wife made the situation public before last week’s race at Kansas Speedway, revealing that Rookie was at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte and showing signs of heart failure. “Healthier probably isn’t the right word, but I’ve never seen him happier. His color looks good. He’s gained weight. A lot of things are going well,” Reddick said. “That said, some of the toughest moments are definitely still to come. We’re definitely not out of the woods. There are some things we have to get through first.” Reddick, who reached the final of last year’s championship, entered Sunday’s race below the cut line for the drivers. The group was reduced from 12 to eight after the race. The last four, Reddick, his 23XI Racing teammate, Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain and Austin Cindric, were eliminated.
Denny Hamlin, co-owner of Reddick’s car, stated that 23XI Racing has provided support and participated in obtaining the best care for Rookie.For me, this weekend, where we are at points, is what it is,” Reddick said. “I’m going to go out there and give my best while I’m here. For me, this week, the elimination, everything that’s happening in the racing world is taking a backseat, as it should be”.
Tyler Reddick
Reddick started alongside van Gisbergen, who won for the fifth consecutive time on a road or street circuit. The New Zealander was the big favorite, and any driver hoping to avoid elimination from the playoffs needed to beat van Gisbergen. Reddick, for his part, expressed his gratitude for the support that he and his family have received and reflected on the emotional impact this has had on his family.We’ve tried to do everything we can as a company to leverage every resource we can, to get second, third opinions, everything, put it in contact with specialists,” Hamlin said. “We feel, not a relief, but it’s a small relief that they now understand what the path forward is, instead of not knowing.
Denny Hamlin
That was a decision that he and she made when he was in Kansas. He was going in the right direction. Yes, as I said, great things ahead that we have to fix, but over the past weekend, he was stable and going in the right direction. It was difficult to stay and run [in Kansas], but we were on the same page about it. He just wanted to get off that plane so badly on Sunday night and go back to the hospital.Countless people have helped,” Reddick said. “Countless people have reached out, provided support, whatever. It’s been really revealing. I agree with my wife, this is the most difficult thing I’ve had to go through. … Certainly, being out [last week] wasn’t ideal.
Tyler Reddick
