It was a dominant Sunday for Toyota drivers as they surged on the track at Darlington. However, it was Kyle Larson who had the last laugh. The No. 5 Chevrolet driver maneuvered his way on the track at Darlington and averted the on-track incidents to tick off another victory from his list and punch his ticket to the next stage of the playoffs.

However, the narrative could have taken a different turn had Michael Jordan’s emerging star, Tyler Reddick, not suffered a dilemma as the laps closed down and set the track in mayhem. Owing to which NASCAR drivers asserted that it was due to the on-track ambiguity of the 23XI Racing team that resulted in the downfall of Ryan Newman.

NASCAR driver sides with Ryan Newman, slamming the 23XI driver

As the green flag was waved on Sunday afternoon at Darlington, marking the initiation of the playoffs, it was the Toyota drivers who displayed an exponentially exorbitant amount of speed, gliding their way on the track. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell and his teammate Denny Hamlin led the most laps, with Hamlin winning both stage points. Moreover, 23XI Racing, also co-owned by Hamlin, exhibited an impeccable performance, especially Tyler Reddick.

The No. 45 Toyota driver led for 90 laps and hoped to snatch the lead from Chevrolet’s Kyle Larson. However, all the hopes went for naught when a late and botched pit stop altered the picture of the race. Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team made a call for the pit stop at the eleventh hour, as a result of which Reddick slowed on the track to take his shot to enter the pit road. Unable to gauge the situation, Ryan Newman made contact with Reddick’s bumper and spun out on the track, resulting in a caution.

Moreover, after being spun out, an enraged Newman was heard saying on his team radio, “Little ba**ards up, trying to breach something under the window, I guess.”

Owing to the incident, Corey LaJoie, on his podcast Stacking Pennies, jumped on the opportunity to side with Newman and slam Reddick and his pit members for their misjudgment. LaJoie expressed, “What a beauty. I don’t even know, like how does even something like that what he said come to your mind. Just getting dirt.”

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Commenting on the pit call, LaJoie also stated, “I don’t think his team gave him enough warning, that was a botched call for sure. They didn’t want an undercut. The 4 called it late and then the 45 just jammed on the brakes, and downshift to try to make it to the pit road and just couldn’t make it there in time. That’s how important it is to undercut one lap. I mean one lap is a difference of two and a half seconds.”

“I loved it, he’s getting his lap back the old-fashioned way. That sucker has been making it hard to pass since Tyler Reddick was in diapers.”

Harvick’s crew chief pins the blame on Tyler Reddick

The move made by the No. 45 driver and his team members not only threw a curve ball at Ryan Newman but also Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick. The No. 4 tried was on the verge of pitting under the green; however, subsequently, the wreck between Reddick and Newman occurred, causing the issuance of a caution. The Ford driver was eventually slapped with a penalty for his pitting mistake.

In an interview with Frontstretch, Harvick’s crew chief Rodney Childers expressed, “Yeah, I mean, it all happened because the No. 45 tried to do something he shouldn’t have,” Childers said. “I’ve been in Billy [Scott’s] shoes too, and you’re trying to do everything that you can to not lose the race at that point[…]”

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That part’s the more disappointing thing, but I also see the reasoning and why he did it and all that. It’s part of racing. I hate that it happened because we had a strong car and could[‘ve] should[‘ve].”

The pit stops have been the Achilles heel for Michael Jordan’s $150 million team. With just 9 more races left, will the 23XI Racing team show a turnaround and alter their tragic narrative, or is it too early to gamble on the team?