The final round of the playoffs at Las Vegas Motor Speedway kicked off with plenty of drama as Joey Logano secured the first Championship 4 spot by snatching the lead from Daniel Suarez late in the race. But the spotlight shifted quickly to Tyler Reddick’s daring three-wide move that cut Brad Keselowski’s race short.

Keselowski wasn’t the only victim—Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott got caught in the same chaotic sequence, but lucky for them, they continued the race. However, for Keselowski, who had been riding high after his runner-up finish at Talladega, things looked promising after he finished Stage 1 in 5th place. But everything unraveled in Stage 2. Reflecting on the chaos, Keselowski shared his frustration in a post-race interview, explaining how a race that started so well quickly turned sour.

Another bad run for Brad Keselowski

The 2024 season for the NASCAR veteran hasn’t been as he’d hoped. Keselowski, after making the playoffs, was eliminated in the very first round. His P5 in Talladega came after finishing six consecutive races out of the top 5, which is unlike the #6. However, Keselowski was determined to salvage the remainder of the season. And Vegas has always been kind to the Keselowski; he’s won three times on the track in his career. On top of that, last year he finished 4th in the race. Even in the recent race, he was poised for a good finish.

Brad Keselowski was running 7th in stage two when Tyler Reddick played a three-wide move on the outside of Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. They drifted, leading to a crash between Reddick and Elliot. As they slid down the track, Keselowski, coming in hot, was collected in the mess. Reddick’s car flipped near the infield grass. Keselowski, unable to control the car, slid back on the track, causing Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney to crash into the wall as they tried to avoid the #6 car. This had Keselowski, Cindric, and Reddick’s run end in a DNF.

Post the chaos, Brad Keselowski was asked about the incident. Naturally, the veteran was disappointed as he said, “A couple of cars got together in front of me and I just couldn’t miss them. It’s a shame. It was one of the best cars we’ve had in quite some time. We are at a good spot to have a great day. Didn’t get to see through.” You have got to feel it for Keselowski, who, by no fault of his own, got in the middle of the crash. However, the wreck was more detrimental for the three playoff drivers involved.

With the DNF, Reddick is currently 6th in the playoff rankings, being -30 points below the cut line. The defending champion Ryan Blaney finished 32nd in the race and is behind Reddick in 7th place with -47 points. Lastly, Elliot sits in the final spot of the top 8 being -53 points below the cut-off line.

It is going to be an uphill battle trying to shorten these point gaps in the races to come. The outcome of the crash has made many wonder if Reddick was too aggressive. Post the race, the drivers who faced the brunt of the #45 weighed in.

Was Tyler Reddick too aggressive?

Reddick, after starting the race in P2, won stage 1, and in an attempt to climb positions in stage 2, he caused the wreck. Well, the question is, was the three-wide move warranted there? With the series being at such a crucial juncture, it is expected for drivers to go all out.

1. According to Reddick, he had to be aggressive. Post the incident, he said, “You have to be aggressive on the restart. It is hard to pass after a while. Being myself on a mile and a half, being aggressive — by the time I realized I was in trouble, the 19 (Truex) started sliding and the 9 (Elliott) was coming up, and I was pretty much already on their outside at that point, with nowhere to really go.”
2. Keselowski was asked if Reddick was too aggressive, to which he said, “I haven’t seen him so I don’t really know. I couldn’t see what happened. I saw the cars in front of me crashing but I don’t know what caused it.” Austin Cindric had a better view than Keselowski and did not think Reddick’s move was too aggressive. Cindric, post-crash, said, “Not really. I think the thing that gets more and more frustrating on these is where was the line drawn when it comes back to lagging back on restarts. Depending on where the leader goes sometimes it’s hard to tell, but guys just continually back up to get gaps. It just puts you in a worse spot the further back you go and it’s just the benefits of having a track position. That’s one thing that I would say is frustrating.”
3. Although it’s a bummer to end up below the cutline, the playoff drivers too did not hit out at Reddick as it’s all part of the game. Elliott post the wreck said, “(Tyler Reddick) was coming with a really big run on the top. I don’t think Martin (Truex Jr.) knew that, and he was kind of running as if we were two-wide. Once I recognized that there wasn’t going to be enough room, I bailed and there was just nowhere to bail. It was too late. 
4. Even Blaney felt it was too late by the time he saw Keselowski slide back on the track and just couldn’t avoid it. “We’re still alive. It’s definitely not the best of days. It was just a rough weekend overall. I don’t know what to do about it, to be honest with you, running over something and having a hole in it in practice. And then just getting clipped by the 6 there. I thought I could get around him and didn’t know if he’d come up the racetrack and then by the time he was kind of on the track it was too late,” Blaney said post-race.

The next race is Homestead Miami, and it’s going to be crucial for everyone sitting in the elimination zone to have good finishes. Including Denny Hamlin, who’s -27 points below in the 5th position.

Which four, according to you, will not make it to the finale?