What does it take to win the Daytona 500? Besides the skills, a look at two-time NASCAR champion Tyler Reddick's race-oriented diet and fitness postulates will detail how they are also pivotal to be the best while handling the steering.

Reddick is currently celebrating his win after being crowned the newest Daytona 500 Champion on February 15. He won the championship driving a Toyota for 23XI Racing, owned by the NBA icon, Michael Jordan.

But speed isn't the only thing that helped Reddick clench the title; a carefully planned training and nutrition plan also helped him live up to the demands of NASCAR racing. However, the #45 driver doesn't believe in following a particular diet or workout routine; he lives by an approach that he is comfortable with.

A week before the race, NASCAR drivers start eating several small portions of meals and exercise regularly. But the story is different on racing day. Reddick avoids eating heavy meals before the race, and instead likes to take a power nap right before the race.

“A lot of times I find myself sleeping in a little bit on race day, not like having a full-blown meal,” he said. “So, whenever I find myself in a pinch; I don’t have a lot of time, I normally just grab and crust out of the fridge for a little snack. Not anything too spicy before you get in the car.”

But things are different after the race, after getting out of the racing suit, Reddick speeds towards the nearest McDonald's drive-thru to get his hands on the quarter-pounder. Also, he has grown up eating foods like tacos and liked to eat lobster right before the race, but stopped after facing stomach ailments during a race.

But despite maintaining all this, he started experiencing a major issue in 2022 during his races.

A Cockpit Design Affected Tyler Reddick’s Health

In 2022, The Next Gen cockpit design led to Reddick gradually losing sensation in his legs. Describing it as something like parethesia or numbness of the legs, Tyler said that once the numbness set in, he wasn't able to feel the brake pedals.

After trying everything from rags to pickle juice and caffeine pills, Reddick and the design team came to the conclusion that Tyler needed to adapt to the changes in the cockpit.

"I think I made some mistakes about how I need to be sitting in this car. So, we've been able to pinpoint some areas where I think I just had my body in a bad posture -- not really allowing the weight of my body in the seat being distributed the way it should."

The change seems to have worked well for Reddick, as he regained his form, leading to a victory in Daytona 500 this year.

So, Reddick's story proves that both skills, and physical conditioning matter to be at the top of the game? Like his diet, do you also follow a specific eating plan for your specialized tasks?

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Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Souvik Roy