Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour presented by NASCAR on FOX - Tyler Reddick Interview

Episode Date: September 12, 2024

In Episode 56 of 'Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour,' NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick sits down with Tyler Reddick for an engaging and insightful conversation you won’t want to miss! Tyler gives an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at his recent win at Michigan, breaking down the mindset and skill that led him to victory. He also opens up about the deep bond he shared with his mentor Scott Bloomquist before his tragic passing, and reflects on the legacy Scott left behind. Plus, Tyler shares what it's like racing for 23XI and working under NBA Legend and team owner Michael Jordan and more! This episode is packed with captivating stories, expert analysis, and an insider’s perspective on the world of NASCAR. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scott really took me under his wing in a way that no one had really seen him do for others. And so it just meant a lot. He really did. Welcome to Kevin Harvick's happy hour, presented by NASCAR on Fox. And this week for our conversation, we have Tyler Reddick. We gave him a week off because he had so many issues in the car that we didn't want to bother him after Darlington. So we gave him a week off, but we really wanted to have the conversation about his progression. at 2311, his relationship with Michael Jordan.

Obviously, we've heard him talk about his relationship with Scott Bloomquist. And I was super excited that he agreed to do it a week later so that we could ask all those questions. So here's the interview. We encourage you to follow us anywhere you can on social media and subscribe anywhere you can, but we hope you enjoy the time we spent with Tyler. Well, Tyler, thanks for taking the time. We gave you a week off since you had so many issues at Darlington, we figured we'd just wait a week.

But, you know, I think for me, when I look back at your regular season, I think back to Vegas and that frustration that you had not winning that race at the beginning of the year. And there's been a couple other instances like that. But the thing that has struck me about your season is the regular season is the consistency that you guys have found to be able to finish in the top 10 happened again yesterday at Atlanta. So I know you got frustrated with not.

winning races, but that's going to be like that for a long time. Explain to the folks that are listening just how important that consistency is to find to be able to be competitive week in and week out and build your program. Yeah, I think on that front, you know, it's something we knew we need to improve last year. It really hurt us in the regular season one year ago. I think we were coming out of Charlotte last year, 30 points out of the lead. And by the time we got to Daytona, like 130 or 40. So we just, we got really caught up in winning races

and not necessarily getting the finishes, the best finish out of the day. And it just didn't really allow our team to really build the way that we needed to. I think we got that somewhat corrected for the playoffs last year. But again, it was just a huge point of emphasis for us going into this year.

And so just when we're able to do that and get consistent finishes, you know, I don't know if necessarily, We need to bring back the car in one piece every time, kind of like you used to. These cars are coming completely apart anyways. But certainly I think it helps the morale. You know, for us, it gives us something to chase in the regular season,

just trying to claw our way closer to the lead. I think just all around for our team in general, that mindset has just been better. And for me, do I feel like in the past in my career, when I've had that little nugget out there that's within reach that I can chase. It kind of helps me think big picture a little bit. It's very easy. I feel like in these cars and just anywhere you go to get so caught up in winning races and not really caring about the consequences of throwing away a top 10 or a top five.

So, yeah, it's been nice to, I don't know, just have a little bit of a different approach than I've had in years past. Well, I think that also comes with just being in the car and having the same team and being around all the people. I feel like the consistency in the old car was very necessary. I think it's obviously the goal in this car. I feel like watching and being in the driver's seat for a couple years in this car, I still had to air a little bit to the more aggressive side than I did. the conservative side like I used to in the old car,

because of the fact that the track position is hard to get, it's a little bit, everything's so much closer together. Is that how you feel? I mean, I know that we're talking about consistency, but I still feel like with this car you have to err on the side of being too aggressive. Is that how you feel? To an extent, yeah, more so than the old car.

I think it's just the way this car likes to be driven too, though. It likes, you know, it seems like, like the more aggressive you can drive it, the better off you're going to be. You know, we kind of found that in Michigan, right? We were a little bit on the loose side, so I thought in the beginning of the race. And, you know, in some ways, the field car, that balance that we had is kind of what you would want. And we decided to tighten up, take a chance of maybe getting it too tight.

And, you know, you just, it worked out. So I think, yes, this car definitely likes to be driven harder. A little counterintuitive, though, to what I think I definitely thought coming into this car with just how edgy it can be in the back. You know, there's no, you don't build side force when you, when you get in yaw with this car. It loses down force when you get the, when you get sideways, it just shuts air off to the diffuser. So some of that stuff was, was not what I was expecting coming into it. But definitely as you mentioned, you know, if you get side by side with somebody, you can pretty much win the battle if you, I'll drive them into the corner and get

clear. So certainly it does seem like you do have to be a lot more. with this car, but all that comes with a line, right? When you cross it, you can't really save it like you used to. Right. When you went to 2311 and you made the change from RCR, I know that you probably had expectations of, you know, going in there and being where you are this year. Talk about just the dynamic of learning a new team, learning a new manufacturer, crew chief, or, you know, all the different scenarios that went in because we're here today talking about your regular season championship and the things that you guys have done. What's that process been like for you mentally and inside the company to be able to get to this point of winning a regular season championship,

but also kind of starting over because it's never the same because there's quirks of every company. What's been some of the things that you've had to learn about Toyota and the thought process of where you are now to really kind of hone in on what has led to success this year? Yeah, I mean, that's, I mean, you nailed it. It was starting over. You know, the routine that I'd had for the last couple of years, just how the whole week looks certainly completely changed going over to 2311. You know, just how, you know, how Denny and all the leadership here does the meetings throughout the week.

Just the schedule is completely different. So there was a learning curve to that. You know, getting familiar with Toyota, what TRD brings to the table, the assets they have, the assets that the 211 has been able to bring in over the past year and a half. Just getting used to all those things and then kind of figuring out, you know, between myself and Bubba, what works for both of our schedules. It's definitely been a learning curve. But I think it's been a good one.

definitely have a good sense of consistency throughout the week and in the routine that we have. I think that was the biggest thing for me was just kind of finding what my routine was going to be. Last year, it was hard to really nail one down. And, you know, I think that's something we did a really good job of this year is every week looking very much, if not identical. It just allows me to be in a good routine, allows me to have the confidence that I need doing the things that I'm doing here at the shop going into the race weekend. So I think it helps, it helps everybody, but it certainly helped me a lot. What's your relationship like with Billy? Obviously, we know it's good. But I think, you know, for me with Rodney, when you talk about that consistency of

routine and being able to do the same things, it's boring to people. When you tell them that answer, I always found that exact same thing. If I could do it over and over and over and over, I could race championship for him from week one until week, you know, 36. And I think that that is just the structure that you have to have. How involved was Billy and is he pretty honest with you and saying, hey, you need to do this different or I'd like you to do this? What's that relationship like between you guys and from that aspect of him pointing out, hey, you're not doing a good job? Because I was never offended when Rodney told me I sucked or told me that I, you know, shouldn't have done this or shouldn't have done that. And I think that's part of the key to success, in my opinion.

Yeah, they can definitely see a lot more than we can in a driver's seat. We know what our cars are doing. We can kind of see what the cars around us are doing, but we don't fully, I don't anyways. I don't fully understand the big picture on strategy or what we kind of have to do in each stage or in each cycle. So certainly I really rely on Billy for all that stuff. But yeah, you know, for our relationship, it took. a little bit to kind of understand what he likes and for him to understand what I like.

We had a good starting point, I feel like, because he was at RCR. Well, I was at RCR as well. So we were familiar with one another. But certainly, you know, Billy and me have a pretty good relationship when it comes to, you know, he's very brutally honest with me. And most of the time, he's right. There's very few times, but it does happen where. you know, he's trying to get me off the bottom, like in, I think stage one or stage two in the race at Atlanta.

He's like, you're getting loose because of where you're at. And I'm like, man, I'm telling you, this thing is just, it's, this is not the time to go there yet. So there's a little bit of that. You know, he, he definitely really pushes me to try certain things that I normally wouldn't. And it has success most of the time. But he does, he does listen and understand when, you know, even all the facts may line up and say, hey, we need to try this or go this way on the track. It may not like hearing it, but I do say, hey, this is something I can't do in this moment.

But I think we have a good understanding. Well, I think it's, and I tell Keelan this all the time. And, you know, he gets frustrated with me criticizing him. I said, look, bud, if you don't want to be criticized, you are in the wrong sport. Because the way that this sport has evolved is, it is so much different than the driver telling the team what to do. With all the data and all the things that happen now, you better be with. willing to take some criticism weekend and week out.

And so it's important to the process and all the information that you have. And before we get into Atlanta, I just, I want to stick to the team aspect and the things that you guys have. It's well noted of what Denny does for you guys with his experience and with the team

and resources that you have. And, you know, I think that the one interesting thing to me this year is I feel like Michael has been much more visual, It seems like he's more comfortable being in the pit stall, around the guys. And I know he was around before, but from the outside looking in, it looks like he's much more comfortable being in those scenarios. When I look back at Darlington and you look at his emotion and just with everything

that was going on with Bubba, and then you look afterwards and you see him sitting on the sidelines just looking at the trophy and the guys and you standing in Victory Lane and just kind of taking it all in. What's that been like to be around a superstar of that magnitude and watch him try to be, you know, an asset to the team and be involved and take all that in from your perspective? Yeah, it's really, really cool. Honestly, it's something that's hard to put into words, right? Many of us, right, grew up, well, a lot of what he did was before my time, but certainly, you know, everyone knows who he is, what he's accomplished. It's just really, really cool to see how passionate he is about racing

and just see how much he cares about this race team and watching it go in the right direction. I go back to Daytona going into that race. He was sitting there where we were all standing around talking before the race. And, I mean, he's, I swear he goes back and watch his film. Um, you know, he, he had a pretty good idea of how Daytona was going to play out. And I kid you not, it played out kind of like he said it was going to. Um, he really does love the sport.

Um, you know, just, just hearing his, his knowledge, the technical knowledge is growing day by day, um, you know, coming into it. He only had access to what he did, right, which was TV and just, you know, what, what a normal fan would have access to. and just seeing him just sponge all the information up that, you know, me and Bubba give to him, that the crew chiefs give to him, the leadership this company gives to him. It's just really, really cool to see how he bought in his into this whole process. And yeah, it's been great to have him around, certainly when he's there. We do feel the pressure, but we, I welcome it, honestly. But having him in the, in the holler before the race, cutting it up with all the guys is some of the

best things you can ask for. You can't put a price on that. So he certainly really helps motivate us to out and do our best. When I was at Bristol last year, we had a terrible day, and I'm walking out of the tunnel. And I'm by myself with myself and PR guy and walking down the tunnel. And I feel this big hand just grab the back of my neck. And I'm like, oh, God.

And I turn around and it's Michael. And he says, buddy. he's like, don't sweat today. You've had a great run at it. And he went into this long spill of, you know, just how he had watched and the things. And he was referencing races and moments. And I'm like, my God, this guy actually does watch the races. And he walked with me all the way out of the tunnel, talk to me, and we went our separate ways.

What's the, I just, I was kind of caught off guard by that moment. Has there been a moment with Michael where he's just said, hey, you know, you need to do this or I think this or this will help that that really stuck with you like that moment in time that that I had with him that he's said, okay, you did a great job, but you need to do this, or what is the best advice that you felt like he's kind of shot out for you? Yeah, we haven't really had a moment like that, but I think back to the very beginning, you know, I got the chance to meet with him before my first year started, spent some time with. them but we were down in Daytona before the 500 year and a half ago and uh i don't know me him and

bubba were talking something about speedway racing and i can't remember what i said but he turned to me and said man i don't you don't have any room to talk you're terrible at speedway racing and um he just kind of took a shot at me and i wasn't expecting it and him and baba you know love going back and forth you know just you know michael loves uh i don't know cutting it up if you will so for me um i wasn't expecting that. And, you know, it was, it was a nice thing. I took it the right way. And I'm like, all right, well, I have some work to do. You know, I have some extra motivation. I was already motivated to get better at Spewer Racing. When MJ calls you out about not being very good at it, you know, it's easy to find motivation to get better. So we tried our best that year,

and it didn't really work out. But we went into the offseason this past year. And me and Nick pain, Billy, we spent a lot of time kind of watching how these races would play out. And I feel like our strategy this year on the Speedway has been much better. Certainly, Daytona, you know, we kind of got caught on the wrong side of strategy. This is the second race. And then the 500, we were in Iraq. But having the duels play out like it did, having Talladega one play out like it did. And kind of all day long here at Atlanta, I mean, we got boxed in with the 99 and the 22.

and cycling to the back of the field, we had to drive our way back to the front just about every single time. So it's been nice to improve our performances and our capability of getting good finishes on these speedways. Well, you talk about speedway racing, and I guess that's a great path into yesterday.

It looks like you're driving around a Mercedes with that paint scheme as I watch. I think it's a Mercedes every time that you go by. It's from a distance, So you can always pick out your car, but it's, you know, it's, it definitely, it definitely looks like the Mercedes logo, the, the jump logo. But Atlanta is, yeah, Atlanta, Atlanta to me is, is, I feel like it's one of the most breathtaking tracks from inside the driver's seat because the cars are so on edge. How nervous were you going into Atlanta just with everything that could happen? And we saw it happen to Larson yesterday with just the, you.

that slight step out and boom, you're in the fence and the carnage that we had at the first race on lap two. Are you glad that's over because now you have a 30 plus 30-some point advantage and you can just kind of go to Watkins Glen and put together what I feel like should be a good weekend for you with the way that you guys have run on the road races. How did you approach that first race going into the weekend? Yeah, we wanted to, I mean, nothing new for us. You know, I think that was the nice thing about where we are with the playoff points that we had going into it. We just, I basically had the approach and I feel like my team did of going and just, you know, nothing's changed.

Yeah, we're in the playoffs, but our mindset doesn't have to change certainly yet. And so, yeah, I kind of just went into it trying to open. We get stage points in the first two stages. That obviously didn't work out. So I knew that, you know, we need to try and aim for somewhere around fifth to have a decent point stay. But yes, it, you know, going into it, I don't know. I always know that first run is super sketchy, and I kind of just didn't worry about as much as I probably should have.

But yeah, man, I feel like in those first 30 laps, I should have wanted it up about 10 times. So it was an absolute handful. It was very sketchy. I do not like sliding a car around a racetrack that much, as much as others would seem to believe otherwise. It's just it's so sketchy off a turn two, off a turn four. When you get a car on your left rear exiting four or two, the thing gets tight,

and then it just snaps so fast. It's just not a good feeling. So, yeah, that's just something that Atlanta has, and it's something that always seems to get some people. But it was certainly very on edge for us most of the day. Normally we've been really, really good at Atlanta. I didn't really get to feel it out at all in the first race this year. Bubba had damage too.

So I was very surprised by our capability in the car. But I was glad we were able to get a six out of it. I felt like we didn't even really have a top 10 car, to be honest. It just the bounce was very disconnected all day long, just really, really tied out of nowhere. And then, you know, we'd kind of wash you up into a bad aerospot and it would snap. And I mean, when you get loose a place like in Atlanta running two and three wide, there's just not a lot of room for error. And it's not a good feeling. Yeah.

Well, I can tell you one thing. I felt much better about sitting up there watching this year than I did when I was sitting in the car because it has become one of the most stressful situations that you can possibly go through as a driver. And being the first round of the playoffs is I'm glad for you that it's over. So I want to go back and I want to talk about the Michigan win. And I mainly want to talk about that because of everything that happened with Scott Blumquist. And I guess I wasn't really aware of the relationship that you guys kind of had. Tell us about that relationship that you had with Scott, what that was and what period that was. I know your dad made you move around in a lot of different things pretty quickly and you did a lot of different racing.

along the way. But talk to me about that relationship with Scott. Yeah, you know, I think I got racing light models when I was around 11 years older. So we were running rocket chassis as start. And me and my dad were kind of figuring it out or trying to. I wouldn't say we were figuring it out. It was a big, big jump for us. We were going from, we were running sprint car, not only sprint cars at the time. And I really loved it.

It was a lot of fun. But my dad was just, I don't blame him. but he was actually terrified. I was going to get hurt. We saw a lot of young drivers, young teenagers get, I mean, having life altering crashes. And so my dad was just super worried about that. And I don't blame him as a dad myself now.

I understand where he's coming from. So we kind of got out of that. Just we, I don't know, my dad wanted me to give it 80% in the car. We just, we weren't taking the right approach to it. So we jumped into the late models. and I already knew who Scott was, but just the more and more that we would go to the track, I just got to know him a little bit.

And I think there was one day we were testing, or Scott was staying over to test. I think it was a thing they called it Blue Gray or Bluegrass in Kentucky Speedway. And Scott said, hey, you should stick around and test with us, try some stuff out because me and my dad really, really struggled on the slick racetracks. We could run okay and,

qualifying it in the heats. If there was a cushion or at the bottom had some grip, if it was tacky down there. But slick racetracks I was just terrible at. So I was caught off guard by that. Me and my dad didn't expect it. But Scott asked us to hang out and test with him. Normally when Scott tests, no one can even be at the track.

It's just him and his guys. So just got to know him a little bit there. He wanted to help us out. And that just kind of started the process of me eventually, me and my dad and our family just eventually, moving over and getting some Bloomquist cars. And then it didn't even, it didn't, it didn't stop there. I mean, it turned into Scott asking us to come over and stay at his shop,

his compound, if you will, he had the two shops where they build the cars and store some stuff. And you just kind of turned into, you know, wherever Scott went, we went, we'd run the same series. And, you know, Scott, Tommy Hicks, all the people that, that he had, Bruce, he had a lot of a lot of really smart, really great people. And just Scott pretty much just took my family under his wing and taught me so much about these light models, man.

I didn't really know anything. And between Scott and Tommy, their whole group, you know, they taught me how to maintenance the car, taught me what to look for, what these adjustments would mean. Just Scott really took me under his wing in a way that no one had really seen him do for others. And so it just meant a lot. He really did. Hanging out with with a legend of the sport, him doing everything he could to help me learn. He would certainly get frustrated with me, but I mean, I was a dumb kid. I would make a lot of stupid mistakes on the racetrack. Sometimes my mind wasn't where it needed to be. Sometimes I was worried about the women run

around the pits instead of working on the race car and I had been in the race. So yeah, it was a big learning process, but Scott did so much for me and my family, man. I just, he played a huge part like others did and get in me getting to where I am today. Well, I think as you look back at everything that Scott has done and just, you know, the impact that he had on, on the sport, and you being able to kind of get into that circle that not too many people got to, got to be in is intriguing, interesting. And I'm sure you learn. a lot of, I'm sure you cultured yourself, you got cultured along the way as you, as you went on the road because he was a, he was a fun person to be around. Well, you've, you've had, you've had a great

season. You've, you've done a lot of things great on the racetrack. But I would, I would assume that the most stressful thing that, that you did was plan a wedding, have a wedding in, in the middle of the season. But I got to know, who was the, who was the one person you were like, man, you need to just chill out. Who was the guy at the wedding or the gal at the wedding that was just a little bit having a little bit too much fun? I don't know if they're having, well, I wouldn't say, okay, I guess that there's two different answers here. The person is having too much fun, or the group of people having too much fun, was my whole group, the groomsmen, myself. We, we drank a lot of zinc or tequila before the ceremony.

We had a little too much fun. My best man, Lombardi, Matt Lombardi, he's the engine tuner on the A-car. He gave a hell of a speech, but we all collectively had a little bit too much fun. And directly connected to that was my father just absolutely stressed out, worried about my well-being at all times. So I kind of screwed it up a little bit, but I had a, I guess a once in a lifetime recovery for the rest of the wedding and bounce back. So yeah, I don't know. It's stressful, man.

You do all this planning, all this buildup, and you get there the day of. And the day just goes by so fast. It just wish the night could last forever, honestly. But it was really great to have all the family and friends there. but yeah just i just wish that day your wedding day could just be 48 hours instead of 24 uh just it really flies by well tyler it's been it's been a great start to the season you've had um you know some some great success this year you're off to a a good start in the playoffs um you know i think it's a it's a great it's been a great story to see you progress uh with 2311 and everything that that's

gone on. But, you know, I think as you go into the end of this year and you have all the charter talk and all the different things that you have going on, how much of a distraction does that become as you get towards the end of the year with just having to deal with it? You know, I think it's, you know, it's unfortunate that it took this long. And I think from the driver's standpoint, I always got frustrated when I had to answer it. Do you just blow all that off and try to do what you do from a driver standpoint. I know for me, I always felt like it was a bigger distraction with with the teams and the guys in the shop not knowing what they were doing. How do you deal with stuff like that? I don't know. I feel like I've always, whether it's

been publicly known or not, I've always, I don't know, for a lot of large period in my life, I was kind of a disaster. So I just kind of got used to a lot of things happening at once and just being able to put it off to the side, strap my helmet on and go race. It always kind of seems like the more chaotic things might be outside the car. I don't know if I just pull when I put that helmet on, it's a little bit tighter and I just do a better job in the car for whatever reason it is. But yeah, they'll, you know, well, it'll all sort out. I just let it play out and I focus on what I can control.

and if we do everything right, we'll be celebrating with some beast in victory lane at the end of the year. Well, winning cures all problems. That definitely makes things better. And I think as you guys go through the rest of the season, you guys are going to be a force to be reckoned with. So thanks for taking the time.

We wish you luck and appreciate you taking the time to talk to us today. Absolutely. Always, Kevin. Thank you. Well, we hope you enjoyed the show. I thought that was a great conversation. conversation with Tyler and gave us some pretty intriguing things to think about that we probably didn't know about Tyler and his situation before. So follow us anywhere that you can, subscribe anywhere that you can. And we appreciate you following along and we'll see you next week.