Tyler Reddick‘s climb up the NASCAR ladder is complete. On Wednesday, Richard Childress Racing announced the reigning Xfinity Series champion will replace Daniel Hemric in the team’s #8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the 2020 Cup Series season.
“Richard Childress Racing (RCR) has promoted Tyler Reddick, NASCAR Xfinity Series defending champion and current championship contender, to drive the No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series for the 2020 race season,” a team statement read.
Reddick, currently in his first season with RCR, has enjoyed a five-win Xfinity campaign with top-ten finishes in all but four races (his twenty-four top tens lead all NXS drivers). He scored the 2019 Xfinity regular season championship and currently sits third in the playoff standings.
After racing and winning the Xfinity title for JR Motorsports in 2018, he moved to RCR with the hope of competing in the Cup Series, the early steps of which he took when he ran the season-opening Daytona 500 in February, where he finished twenty-seventh after being collected in a late-race wreck. In May, he competed in his second career Cup race at Kansas Speedway, where he finished ninth.
On Twitter, Reddick posted, “Super excited about returning to RCR next year with @CaterpillarInc on board! It’s been an incredible journey so far! Can’t wait to see what our future holds!”
Hemric, currently in his first full Cup season, lost the #8 ride in September. His 2020 plans have not been confirmed.
