DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Denny Hamlin did not mince words Sunday evening at Daytona International Speedway. He made it clear that a Daytona 500 win is only a glimpse of what he believes Tyler Reddick can achieve.
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"I knew four or five years ago, whenever it was when I talked to him for the first time about, 'Hey, I need you over here,'" Hamlin explained on Sunday. "Billy (Scott, crew chief), the same way, by the way.
"Those are two guys that I specifically recruited for 23XI and wanted — Billy was one of the very first ones. I just knew that his ceiling was so, so high."
DAYTONA 500 WINNERS LFG!! pic.twitter.com/adBHL2JGoT
— Tyler Reddick (@TylerReddick) February 16, 2026
Hamlin has spent his entire career racing around future Hall of Famers. His past teammates have included such names as Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, and Joey Logano.
So what makes Reddick stand out to Hamlin, who will one day be in the Hall of Fame himself?
"I just know his ability and the ability to get the most out of a car, to get speed out of it, certainly, at times I can't get out of cars," Hamlin said in response to a question from FanBuzz. "It might be just for a lap, but he'll get speed out of it.
"So once you find someone that can do that with raw talent, then you start to give them a little bit of race craft, give them a little bit of 20-year-old wisdom from mistakes I've made in the past. Next thing you know, you've really created a driver there that has got all the pieces that can win a championship."
Reddick seemingly came out of nowhere to win his first Daytona 500. He avoided multiple late crashes, and he dove to the bottom of the track at the perfect time to get past Chase Elliott. This put him ahead of the final incident heading to the start-finish line.
The 23XI Racing driver then crossed the finish line first and scored the biggest win of his professional career.
Reddick has delivered multiple wins to Hamlin and Michael Jordan since joining 23XI Racing in 2023, including three on the final lap.
He won at Circuit of the Americas and Kansas Speedway in 2023. He then won at Talladega Superspeedway, Michigan International Speedway, and Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2024.
This final win in 2024 featured Hamlin using the outside line to fly past Ryan Blaney in the final turn. He won the race and locked himself into the Championship 4 for the first time.
Reddick is only the fourth driver in the modern era of NASCAR to win his first nine races at different tracks. He joins Hall of Famers, Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon, and Kyle Busch. He clearly has the talent to win at a wide variety of venues, but what is the next step that will fully take him to the heights that Hamlin expects?
"Road course racing, that's been a big part of the NASCAR schedule over the last few years," Hamlin said. "While it's reduced this year, he's no slouch there. He can go compete.
"Really, other than probably short tracks, that's the last little step for him to get a little bit better at, he's there. He's got the race craft."
