Kevin Kovac's Take Five
Take Five: Reddick's glory days at dirt track
By Kevin Kovac
DirtonDirt senior writer
In a new feature appearing regularly on DirtonDirt, senior writer Kevin Kovac will offer readers five things worth mentioning from around the Dirt Late Model landscape (index to previous Take Fives):
No. 1: Judging by the many social media posts I spotted, the Dirt Late Model world was proud to see Tyler Reddick capture Sunday’s Daytona 500. The 30-year-old Reddick, of course, began his big-car racing career in 2009 chasing the World of Outlaws Late Model Series as a mop-haired teenager, and the Dirt Late Model hasn’t forgotten as there were numerous congratulatory messages and posts remembering Reddick’s dirt days that appeared in the hours after his first-ever triumph in the Great American Race.
No. 2: Reddick certainly hasn’t forgotten his Dirt Late Model roots. While his stint in the division was relatively short — he raced regularly in the class from 2009-13 — before his racing progression into NASCAR supported by his grandfather, Broken Bow Records founder Benny Brown, took him to the Truck Series in 2014, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in ’17 and Cup Series in ’20, he maintains many friendships from his dirt days (Bobby Pierce and Devin Moran both attended Reddick’s wedding a couple years ago) and fondly recalls the impact the class had on him. In fact, during his Daytona 500 press conference, Reddick responded to a question about his driving versatility by bringing up his dirt-racing background and specifically mentioning how he had the opportunity to work with such Dirt Late Model luminaries as the late Scott Bloomquist and Rocket Chassis co-owner Mark Richards.
No. 3: Reddick’s dramatic Daytona 500 triumph reminded me of the first time I ever heard about him. It was back on Oct. 8, 2008, when I was the public relations director for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and we were at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C., for a midweek topless race that was ultimately rained out. Reddick’s father, Clarence, was there and met with then WoO series director Tim Christman to discuss his plan to put Tyler out on the national tour in ’09 and his desire to find a mentor to help him along. Christman introduced Clarence to some WoO racers and the elder Reddick eventually arranged a deal with then WoO regular Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who spent part of Tyler’s rookie WoO season preparing a car for the teenager. (And by the way, Reddick was officially listed as 14 years old in ’09, but a check of the birth year on his bio today shows that back then he was actually … 13. A “secret” which many in the media were aware).
No. 4: I recall witnessing many moments from Reddick’s Dirt Late Model career. I saw him qualify through a heat race for the 2009 season opener at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. I remember him gaining confidence with his interviews as time went on. I’ll never forget WoO regular Clint Smith playfully lifting the slight Reddick off the ground and holding him over his shoulders before the start of a WoO race night at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D. And, in my first year with DirtonDirt in 2014, I covered Reddick’s DIRTcar Summer Nationals victory at Highland Park (Ill.) Speedway, a race he ran as part of a limited Dirt Late Model schedule that year while racing in the NASCAR Truck Series. I haven’t seen Reddick much over the past decade, but I must say, he’s always been quick to say hello and then talk about his WoO days when I’ve crossed paths, including one time a couple years ago when he stopped in at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Ala., to check out a WoO event and back in December 2024 when I randomly bumped into Reddick at a bar in Key West, Fla., while he was visiting the town with his team’s coowner Denny Hamlin.
No. 5: As a heads-up to readers, the first Keyser Manufacturing-sponsored DirtonDirt Top 25 power ranking of 2026 is scheduled to post on Tuesday. DoD’s panel considered all races contested so far this year to come up with the poll’s initial list. Who do you think will be ranked No. 1?
