Amidst the competition and adrenaline of the race, Tyler Reddick faced a tough personal battle, with his championship hopes on the line. Reddick’s wife, Alexa, recently revealed that their newborn son, Rookie, was diagnosed with a chest tumor affecting his heart. Rookie, the second child of Tyler and Alexa, was born in May. Alexa shared details about the delicate health situation of the little one before Sunday’s race at The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Reddick, who started from the pole position, needed a victory to stay in contention for the Cup Series title. Shane van Gisbergen took the victory, eliminating Reddick from the playoffs. Reddick finished in tenth position. Alexa Reddick shared updates on Rookie’s condition on social media. She explained that the little one has a “tumor that ‘strangles’ the renal vein and artery, which tells the heart ‘Hey, I’m not getting enough blood… pump harder'”. This has caused an enlargement of the heart and will require the removal of a kidney because the doctors determined that it no longer works.
Alexa also added that her son was happy, spending time playing with bubbles, playing and interacting with all the medical staff. Tyler Reddick had kept his son’s health situation private until his wife decided to make it public before last week’s race at Kansas Speedway, where Rookie was at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte and showing signs of heart failure. Reddick addressed Rookie’s health in Charlotte:He will undergo open surgery to remove his right kidney. We are not sure when. Waiting is okay for now to give his heart a break while he is on blood pressure medication. They expect his heart to fully recover because it was just an innocent bystander. We have answers but a journey ahead to bring our little Cookie home.
Alexa Reddick
Reddick, who reached the final of last year’s championship, started 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. Reddick commented: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. All that being said, some of the most difficult moments are definitely ahead. We’re definitely not out of the woods. There are a few things we have to get through first. For one, I’m really happy and it makes me feel really good that he’s doing a lot better right now, but we certainly have some hurdles to get over first before we even think about leaving the hospital or thinking about what’s next.
Tyler Reddick
Denny Hamlin, co-owner of Reddick’s car, stated that 23XI Racing has provided support and has been involved so that Rookie receives the best care. Hamlin said:For me, this weekend, where we are at points, is what it is. I’m going to go out and give it my best while I’m here, certainly. For me, this week, the elimination, everything that’s going on in the racing world is taking a back seat, as it should.
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 gratitude for the support that he and his family have received and reflected on the emotional impact this has had on his family. Reddick said:We have tried to do everything possible as a company to take advantage of all possible resources, to get second and third opinions, all the things, put him in contact with specialists. We feel not a relief, but it’s a small relief that they now understand what the path to follow is, instead of not knowing. I couldn’t imagine being in his place. He has enough to think about. I’m sure he’s probably breathing a sigh of relief that he’s still going there to do his job at a high level, given the whole situation off the track.
Denny Hamlin
Countless people have helped. Countless people have reached out, provided support, whatever. It’s been really eye-opening. I agree with my wife, this is the hardest thing I’ve had to go through… Certainly, being absent [last week] wasn’t ideal. That was a decision my wife and I came to when I was in Kansas. It was going in the right direction. Yes, as I said, big things ahead that we have to fix, but over that past weekend, it was stable and going in the right direction. It was hard to stay and race [in Kansas], but we were on the same page about it. I really wanted to get off that plane on Sunday night and go back to the hospital.
Tyler Reddick
