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Compared to last week’s Speedway race at The Tricky Triangle where the Toyotas basked in the glory with 4 cars in the top 5, the recent short-track race at Richmond was more of a famine rather than a feast for the Toyotas. Despite acing Stage 1 along with his 23XI Racing teammate, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick quickly lost steam during the later stages of the race as the 27-year-old succumbed to the pressure, getting himself a stiff penalty.

As their co-owner Denny Hamlin finished a decent 2nd inching closer to his teammate, Martin Truex Jr in the standings, the veteran did not hesitate to voice his disappointment, seeing his driver fall out under the pressure.

Denny Hamlin sees red after Tyler Reddick’s disappointing Richmond outing

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Well, the Ford is back in the victory lane after Charlotte. While the all-American manufacturer got a sigh of relief from RFK Racing‘s Chris Buescher winning at the 0.75-mile rack being patient and methodical, pole sitter and Stage 1 winner, Tyler Reddick succumbed to the pressure, losing his top position and eventually going off rails, finishing outside the top 10 at 16th.

Despite a strong rally up until Stage 3, the #45 driver hung in there with the pack in the top 5 battling it out with the top dogs until he decided to pit, eyeing a turnaround. And that’s when things started to go south for the 27-year-old. With 60 laps to go in Stage 3, Reddick, in an attempt to churn out more speed, decided to pit. But instead of going forward like he intended to, a line violation got the driver back to square one, taking away his chances of having a great finish.

The #45 Toyota came in too fast, causing a line violation as he touched the orange box, prompting NASCAR to levy the penalty. As his driver shot himself in the foot, 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin blew his lid, getting livid on the radio as he vented out his frustration.

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While the veteran Hamlin got a decent finish, crossing the checkered flag second, things weren’t the same for Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick. Both drivers slowly faded towards the end, giving away track position and losing their edge. Reddick, who was severely affected by the penalty, was stuck in the middle with his #45 being used up, turning his day grim.

Obviously disheartened by his driver’s performance, Hamlin voiced his disappointment over the radio, saying, “Goddamn it, Tyler.”

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For Wallace, the pit crew that gave him an early advantage got him back as the later laps of the race saw an inefficient #23 pit crew pulling the driver back. He too missed out on the top 10, finishing at 12th despite the early domination. With 2 prominent Toyotas caught in the rut, Reddick’s downfall was too much for Hamlin as he got livid over the driver on the radio.

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WATCH THIS STORY: Denny Hamlin warns Bubba Wallace to watch out amidst creeping playoff desperations 

Unlike the Toyotas, the race was a feast for the Ford camp with 6 cars out of the 10 finishing in the top 10, including 3 Stewart-Haas Racing cars.