Tyler Reddick to drive Richard Childress Racing No. 8 car in 2020
Tyler Reddick is Daniel Hemric’s replacement.
Richard Childress Racing announced Wednesday that Reddick, the reigning Xfinity Series champion, would move into the No. 8 car in 2020. Hemric, currently a rookie in the Cup Series, won’t be retained after the 2019 season.
Reddick, 23, is in his first year in the Xfinity Series for RCR. He drove the No. 8 car for JR Motorsports in 2018 and won the first and last races of the season. That second victory, at Homestead-Miami Speedway, won him the championship.
The 2018 champ — who Childress said was ready for the Cup Series in July — has five wins in 28 Xfinity Series starts in 2019. He’s currently third in the points standings and has an average finish of 5.8. He’ll likely be racing for the title with Christopher Bell and Cole Custer at Homestead again this season.
Reddick’s promotion to the Cup Series isn’t a surprise and has been inevitable ever since RCR announced in September that Hemric wouldn’t be retained. Hemric was promoted from RCR’s Xfinity Series team after the 2018 season — he was one of the three title-eligible drivers that Reddick beat for the title a year ago.
But Hemric had a rough start to the season and that set him back. While he’s performed similarly to teammate Austin Dillon over the second half of the 2019 season, the lack of consistent sponsorship and solid results led to his release from the team.
Hemric currently is without a ride for the 2020 season.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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