As Brad Keselowski brought home Ford’s first win of the season, Chris Buescher couldn’t help but feel robbed of the spotlight. With just 10 laps to go in the Goodyear 400, the #17 Mustang Darkhorse belonging to Buescher was poised for a visit to victory lane.

But when Tyler Reddick tried to reclaim the lead after dominating for 174 laps, the 23XI Racing driver misjudged his entry, putting his Camry XSE on a collision course with Buescher’s #17. This inevitably led to tensions boiling over, and Buescher having a word with Reddick post-race. Despite some fans feeling Buescher’s off-track aggression was uncalled for, Dale Earnhardt Jr joined Reddick in defending the RFK Racing driver.

Dale Earnhardt Jr believes Buescher had ‘every right to be mad‘

If there’s any driver who can sympathize with the pressure on both drivers locked in a last-lap battle, it’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. Look back to when Junior took the #88 to Talladega’s victory lane in 2015. So when Chris Buescher faced the same fate of narrowly missing out on a win, two weekends in a row, Junior felt that the #17 driver’s frustrations with Reddick’s wreckless move were justified.

As both Reddick and Buescher got loose and slid into the wall, Brad Keselowski walked away with Josh Berry and Ty Gibbs to seal the podium. Stating that Reddick made a ‘desperate move’ into turn three, Junior felt there was too much at risk for it to ever pay off. According to the JR Motorsports owner, Reddick had no way out of the move once he had committed, in turn causing both drivers major heartbreak and a podium finish each. It also didn’t help Reddick’s case that he had already won to secure a play-off seat, whereas Buescher didn’t have that privilege.

Junior shared on the Dale Jr Download, “Buescher has every right to be mad in this scenario….(…)… Buescher going up there and putting his hands on him and saying, ‘Hey, you know, I expect you to be better’ – All fair game. Buescher is not gonna swing on nobody. I was never worried about Buescher, like, doing anything out of character, right? But it’s good to see Buescher angry.” 

For Earnhardt Jr, Buescher’s usual calm demeanor in media interviews reflected a mild character, one that others could easily take advantage of. But by stepping up to Reddick, the #17 driver ensured he wasn’t taken lightly. Junior added, “It’s good to see some flair, some real emotion. We get to see how important winning is to Chris Buescher and I equate that to the rest of the field; they all want to win that bad.”

Speaking of the rest of the field, the JR Motorsports owner also gave Tyler Reddick credit where it was due.

Despite highlighting his shortcomings, Junior defends Reddick’s Darlington heroics

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For any driver, losing out on a win feels defeating. But even more so if the driver didn’t give it their all to change the outcome. With that, Dale Earnhardt Jr took to Reddick’s defense by pointing out how his actions delivered stellar racing for fans. With Brad Keselowski also sharing his excitement over the last-leg dog fights, Reddick’s aggressive plays certainly made the Goodyear 400 what it was: an action-packed throwback race.

That being said, Junior first pointed out how Reddick didn’t seem to have other opportunities to overtake, making it a make-or-break moment from the start. He stated, “I wonder if he could have been a little more patient right, as he’s closing in on Buescher. Does Buescher see him getting bigger in the mirror and start driving more defensively and therefore slower? if Reddick waits another couple of laps, does he have a better opportunity or not?

According to Junior, it was as close as Reddick had been for several laps. If there was any time for the 23XI Racing driver to make a move for the win, it was right then. So although Reddick’s move ended in heartbreak for both 23XI fans and Buescher, Junior ended by giving Reddick his dues; “As much as we want to give Reddick a hard time about the move, I don’t want them to not make that move, right? If he doesn’t doesn’t try to do it, we don’t get the crazy ending. ” 

After taking a look at Dale Earnhardt Jr’s views on the Tyler Reddick-Chris Buescher incident, do you think we’re going to see some more aggressive plays from the RFK Racing driver at North Wilkesboro?