Despite Initial Apology, Tyler Reddick Pushes the Blame Partially on Chris Buescher After Their Darlington Debacle

Tyler Reddick, unlike Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott, openly expressed his love for racing at Darlington. He had mentioned, “I have a lot of fun racing other competitors but I have a lot of fun just running laps at this track.“ So, obviously, he was eager to capitalize on any chance to win another race following his triumph at Talladega. Already a win in the bag and a secured spot in the playoffs may have justified his decision to take big risks during the race. However, after his move jeopardized Chris Buescher‘s race as well, it appears Reddick had some new perspectives to share.

Tyler Reddick is sorry, but not really

Reddick, who had one of the fastest cars at Darlington and led a good chunk of the race, wasn’t about to pass up a chance to push for the win. And in the heat of the final moments, things went sideways. Diving inside on the corner, Reddick slid up the track right as Buescher was hitting the wall, causing both cars to collide. The move slowed them down, knocking Buescher down to third by the race’s end and ruining Reddick’s chances with a flat tire. Meanwhile, Brad Keselowski, Buescher’s boss and the owner-driver of his own car, swooped in to grab the win after the collision.

Post-race, when Buescher confronted Reddick on pit lane—a scene that usually sparks some heated exchanges and sometimes more physical reactions—Reddick was quick to apologize, admitting, “I know, I f**ked up, I’m sorry… As soon as I knew it wasn’t going to work, I backed out. The last thing I wanted to do was wreck your car.” Yet, discussing the incident later on SiriusXM NASCAR, Reddick seemed slightly less remorseful as he reflected on his decision, explaining:

“It wasn’t going to be long until he was able to rip the top and scream for good. So, between that and just as Lane Choice in 1 and 2. I thought next time around we go into one and two he’s gonna take my lane away and that was gonna be it. He did it. know, five, six, laps, so earlier and was able to open the gap back up.  […] I don’t know, just with… what I was looking at the time options I thought I had in the table, Kyle was improving running the top, and holding me off and wanted to, I thought that was going to be the last opportunity for me.”

He acknowledged it was unfortunate because when he realized his move wasn’t going to pan out, he tried to adjust and keep clear of the lane, but there just wasn’t enough space for a full car. That misjudgment not only ruined Reddick’s race but also Buescher’s. Still, Reddick didn’t shy away from defending his decision, saying frankly, “If I just take second place, we have a good solid day, but man, My team works really, really hard to get in the race 20 cars. Like you said, we led 174 laps. If I just… settle for a second after the day that we had and don’t give them all the time when they’re used for my team, I’m not doing my part of the driver for this organization.”

While from a driver’s perspective, his rationale might make sense, his aggressive racing style might have cost him some respect from the RFK Racing driver. However, Reddick’s boss, Denny Hamlin, chose to focus on the positives of the race for 23XI, rather than dwell on what his driver didn’t achieve.

23XI Racing boss shared his thoughts on the controversial move between Tyler Reddick and Chris Buescher

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Although Denny Hamlin himself had quite a so-so day, finishing P4 after starting P7 after not having the fastest car on the track, he was pleased to see a 23XI car- #45- zooming ahead, especially with the pit crew performing so damn well. Hamlin, who previously stated that he might plan to eventually drive for his team, had noted that his only current concern is the pit crew’s performance of the 23XI Racing team. But seeing them improve might give him and his fans some hope that Hamlin might step behind the wheel for his team sooner rather than later.

Concerning Tyler Reddick’s bold move, Hamlin commented, “Certainly, they dominated the day. It looked like they really reaped the benefits. The pit crew did a great job of keeping them up front all day long, and his car was obviously very fast as well.“ Having been in similar high-pressure situations himself, Hamlin could relate to the emotions Reddick was likely feeling.

And now at the season’s mid, #45 is sitting comfortably in P6h place in the championship standings, having already secured a playoff spot with a win at Talladega. On the other hand, the RFK Racing driver positioned P12 based on points, hasn’t yet clinched that in-season security that comes with a race win. A victory on Sunday would have guaranteed Chris Buescher a playoff spot, allowing him and his team to focus solely on prepping for the postseason—a luxury that Tyler Reddick and his 23XI Racing team already enjoy.