Chevrolet studying Tyler Reddick's car for source of prop shaft failure

Dr. Eric Warren, the head of Chevrolet’s NASCAR program, said they are looking into the source of mechanical problems in Tyler Reddick’s #8 car during the clash. Contrary to initial thoughts, Dr. Warren explained that the problem was not a broken transaxle, instead confirming that the car suffered a damaged prop shaft on lap 53.

Reddick’s car was leading the race when it abruptly slowed down due to what he thought was a broken transaxle. Joey Logano, who was following closely behind, took the lead in the Clash at LA Coliseum on Sunday, going on to win the race. Meanwhile, Reddick had to settle for the 21st position.

Speaking in an interview with NBC Sports, Dr. Warren stated that they have launched an inquiry into the cause of the failure. He cited that when Tyler Reddick was getting ready to restart, he dropped the clutch a little too much trying to get heat in the tires.

In the interview, he mentioned that the team speculated that the track might have been too small, causing the cars to have a lot more drive-off. According to the team, it could have been a specific part failure caused by a new type of part. Dr. Warren also mentioned that he was confident of the car, as compared to other new-generation cars, since it was among the most tested cars and more durable than the previous generation.

Despite the car failure, Tyler Reddick tweeted:

“Today was a good day.”

One of Reddick's fans replied, saying:

“Heart broken for you man, really thought you had the best car yesterday…. That’s alright just regroup and get em at Daytona!”

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Other drivers' complaints look similar to that of Tyler Reddick's

Dr. Eric Warren had more to answer about the Chevrolet after #14 car driver Chase Briscoe encountered a drivetrain issue that looked similar to Reddick’s problem. Dr. Warren, however, said he was unsure if Briscoe's problem was the same as Reddick's.

While Denny Hamlin also complained about the power steering belt that came loose, the Chevrolet boss responded that maybe Hamlin's problem resulted from the pump locking up. He added that it was hard to establish whether it was a steering rack issue.

According to him, this would not be a problem since Chevrolet cars are easily repaired. Even those that suffered severe damage, like Justin Haley’s and Aric Almirola’s, were going to be fixed as early as Monday.

Dr. Warren, however, assured drivers and fans that Chevrolet would investigate the cause of the mechanical failure and come up with a conclusive answer.