Tyler Reddick looked like he was about to lock himself into the NASCAR playoffs for the third time on Saturday night at Richmond Raceway. Instead, the 23XIRacing driver left with a wrecked car, a 34th-place finish, and the reality that the race can decide his entire 2025 campaign as he slips down to 7th in the standings. 

The No. 45 led 41 laps and claimed the Stage 1 victory, showing speed and looked to on the way to victory. But it unraveled in Stage 2 after Daniel Suarez, who may not even race in the Cup next season, made contact with Ty Gibbs, who slid straight into Reddick.

His Jordan Brand Chevy spun, slammed into the SAFER barrier, and never recovered. Reddick called the situation as bad as it could get and blamed Suarez for his primary role in the incident. 

“It’s pretty much a worst-case scenario. We can thank Daniel Suarez for that,” Reddick said bluntly.

“(Suarez) moved (Gibbs). He was frustrated. Whatever it was, (Gibbs) got in his way, was racing him, and he moved him, and it spun me out. Went from a car that was one of the fastest on the track to one of the slowest.”

Suarez admitted after the race that the situation wasn’t intentional. He said Gibbs checked up harder than expected while he was pressing for track position. “I felt bad,” Suarez said, pointing out he was trying to claw back after a 10th-place finish in Stage 1 before running second to Bubba Wallace in Stage 2.

Suarez salvaged a 10th-place finish overall, but he remains in postseason danger himself, stuck with just one top five and five top 10s through 25 starts and an average finish of 20th. Reddick’s frustration stung deeper because of how strong his car had been.

He started third, battled early with AJ Allmendinger and Denny Hamlin, and worked his way back through the field after pitting on Lap 37 to outduel Ryan Preece for the Stage 1 win. What looked like the perfect late playoff push statement ended as another “close, but no cigar moment.”

DON’T MISS

Reddick was last year’s regular-season champion, with wins at Miami, Michigan, and Talladega, plus runner-up finishes at Indianapolis and Las Vegas. This season, he’s been consistent but hasn’t found victory lane, joining Alex Bowman as the only driver inside the top 10 points without a win.

Wallace secured his playoff ticket with a run at Indy, leaving Reddick and Riley Herbst as the only Jordan Brand drivers suddenly sweating. Austin Dillon went on to win the Richmond race with broken ribs and was accused of ‘race manipulation in the process. 

The NASCAR calendar is now down to just one final regular-season showdown at Daytona on Aug. 23. Reddick will race with everything on the line as he battles with other top stars in the top 16 drivers searching for a win, including Preece, Kyle Busch, Ty Gibbs, and more.