Rockstar set for NASCAR return after announcing Tyler Reddick partnership

Rockstar Energy has announced its return to NASCAR after more than a decade away.

The energy drink brand has been absent from the sport since sponsoring Dylan Kwasniewski in 2014, but will return at Talladega later this month on the 23XI Racing No. 45 Toyota of Tyler Reddick.

Reddick, notably, was previously sponsored by Monster Energy for the last three seasons until that partnership ended following the 2025 season. His team-mate, Riley Herbst, is still sponsored by them.

The details of the partnership are currently unclear, but Rockstar will be the car's primary sponsor at multiple races this year – starting at Talladega.

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Reddick to return to energy drink sponsorship

Steve Mateus, Rockstar's senior director of sports and music, said in a statement: “Partnering with Tyler Reddick brings authenticity to a brand built around our LIVE LOUD™ culture and embracing life to the fullest.

"He’s fearless, high-energy, and thrives in high-stakes moments. His relentless drive mirrors a mindset of pushing limits, making him a natural extension of a brand that celebrates intensity, individuality, and unapologetic ambition.”

Adam Stern of the Sports Business Journal reports that talks for the partnership began at Daytona at the start of the year, just days before Reddick won the Daytona 500 to kick-start a historic start to the season.

“Joining Rockstar Energy now is the right fit for both of us,” Reddick said in the statement. “From day one, it was clear we share that winner-take-all attitude. I’m fired up to rep the yellow star with the No. 45 team and bring Rockstar to victory lane this season.”

Reddick has won four of the season's first eight races, and sits 62 points ahead of his nearest challenger on points (Ryan Blaney). He is also the only driver to win multiple races so far this season, after Ty Gibbs edged out Blaney by half a car length at Bristol on Sunday.

NASCAR Cup Series standings after Bristol

Pos	Driver	Manufacturer	Points (Stage)	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s
1	Tyler Reddick	Toyota	386 (58)	4	5	6
2	Ryan Blaney	Ford	324 (81)	1	3	6
3	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	300 (64)	1	3	5
4	Ty Gibbs	Toyota	281 (49)	1	5	6
5	Chase Elliott	Chevrolet	264 (34)	1	3	4
6	Kyle Larson	Chevrolet	260 (72)	0	2	5
7	William Byron	Chevrolet	245 (55)	0	2	4
8	Bubba Wallace	Toyota	236 (64)	0	0	4
9	Christopher Bell	Toyota	231 (52)	0	3	4
10	Chris Buescher	Ford	230 (41)	0	0	3
11	Brad Keselowski	Ford	229 (29)	0	2	3
12	Joey Logano	Ford	218 (46)	0	2	3
13	Carson Hocevar	Chevrolet	209 (38)	0	2	3
14	Ryan Preece	Ford	209 (22)	0	0	2
15	Daniel Suarez	Chevrolet	192 (26)	0	1	2
16	Shane van Gisbergen	Chevrolet	177 (24)	0	1	2
17	Chase Briscoe	Toyota	176 (28)	0	2	3
18	Austin Cindric	Ford	172 (49)	0	1	2
19	Michael McDowell	Chevrolet	171 (19)	0	1	2
20	AJ Allmendinger	Chevrolet	156 (15)	0	0	1
21	Ross Chastain	Chevrolet	153 (11)	0	1	1
22	Zane Smith	Ford	144 (10)	0	0	2
23	Erik Jones	Toyota	133 (0)	0	0	2
24	Kyle Busch	Chevrolet	131 (11)	0	0	0
25	Josh Berry	Ford	128 (25)	0	0	2
26	Todd Gilliland	Ford	127 (11)	0	0	1
27	Austin Dillon	Chevrolet	124 (8)	0	0	0
28	John Hunter Nemechek	Toyota	111 (14)	0	0	0
29	Riley Herbst	Toyota	109 (9)	0	0	1
30	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Chevrolet	107 (4)	0	1	1
31	Noah Gragson	Ford	104 (1)	0	0	0
32	Ty Dillon	Chevrolet	95 (0)	0	0	0
33	Connor Zilisch	Chevrolet	84 (2)	0	0	0
34	Cole Custer	Chevrolet	76 (3)	0	0	0
35	Cody Ware	Chevrolet	64 (0)	0	0	0
36	Alex Bowman	Chevrolet	24 (7)	0	0	0
37	Casey Mears	Ford	9 (3)	0	0	0
38	BJ McLeod	Chevrolet	3 (0)	0	0	0