Uncomfortably numb: Reddick deals with leg issues at Phoenix

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Tyler Reddick is enjoying his status among NASCAR’s fastest drivers through the season’s first three races, adapting quickly to the sport’s Next Gen car that has provided solid racing and a new degree of difficulty for many drivers.

The only issue is Reddick can’t seem to get comfortable in his Chevrolet’s seat, leading to numbness in his legs.

That, of course, is a pretty big problem for a driver in a 3,200-pound hunk of steel that can move over 150 mph.

“You know, I just think I was in a really good place in that old car for such a long time and didn’t realize how easy or how bad you could end up missing it, the comfort side of things,” Reddick said.

If Reddick can find a way to fix his leg issues, he might just find a spot in victory lane for the first time in his NASCAR career. The 26-year-old, who is in his third season with Richard Childress Racing, has led the most laps (90) of any driver so far this season.

So far, those laps up front haven’t led to great finishes in 2022. He was 35th at Daytona and 24th at Fontana after he was doomed by a flat tire before a seventh-place showing at Las Vegas last week. Now the racing has moved across the desert to the tri-oval in Phoenix, which will host the NASCAR championship again in November.