Tyler Reddick in danger of elimination after contact with team owner Denny Hamlin at the Roval

The NASCAR Cup Series regular-season champion, Tyler Reddick, is in danger of being eliminated at the Roval after contact with Denny Hamlin. The 23XI Racing team owner and his driver collided on the frontstretch chicane.

Tyler Reddick had to go to pit road for repairs. He thought he had a flat tire and maybe even a broken toe link. It all happened at the same time as Austin Dillon spun out, and Reddick almost collided with the No. 3 car as well.

Hamlin got out of the contact just fine. However, Reddick is going to have to hope for a miracle if he wants to move up through the field with this damaged vehicle.

Buescher barely squeaked through there 😅🤏🏻 pic.twitter.com/ftmazyJ5d2

— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) October 13, 2024

This race has been dominated by Shane van Gisbergen and Kyle Larson. Whichever has the cleanest air pulls away. Then there are drivers like Daniel Suárez and Joey Logano. Those two are going for broke because they have to get every points and every position possible.

In the case of Daniel Suárez, he has to win to advance. Austin Cindric has to win to advance. They will be a lot more aggressive than the other playoff drivers.

Tyler Reddick is running way behind the field. He is P37 in Stage 2 and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. He may even be lapped soon. If that holds, he will have no chance of advancing. He sits roughly 18 points below the cutline in that position.

Tyler Reddick in trouble early at the Roval

Tyler Reddick had to go back down pit road to fix his car a couple of times. So, when he came back on track, he wasn’t anywhere near the field. Even with the repairs, he had fallen off about 3 seconds from the pace.

23XI Racing expects drivers to make the playoffs and expects the Round of 8 to be the bare minimum in the postseason. With a regular-season championship, the Championship 4 in Phoenix was the goal this year with the 45 team.

A few things could happen. We could see other drivers get in trouble, wreck out of the race. As the laps tick by, these racers are getting annoyed with one another and are really sending it in Turn 7 in the hairpin.

If Tyler Reddick gets it together and advances to the next round, it will be a huge effort. This 23XI team will try to advance, but it looks like they will be kicked from the playoffs after five straight finishes outside of the top-20.