"If Tyler Reddick or Kyle Larson are behind you, those guys are going to the fence" - NASCAR Insider on Ryan Blaney's mistake in Miami

Brad Keselowski's spotter TJ Majors has commented on Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick's aggressive driving style while pointing out Ryan Blaney's Homestead-Miami mistake that paved the way for Reddick's Championship 4 ticket. The Team Penske driver was a turn away from securing his Phoenix spot but a wrong move changed everything.

Blaney and Reddick entered the Straight Talk Wireless 400 race below the playoff cutline. While the former is looking for his second consecutive Cup Series title, the latter eyed to punch his maiden title. Things were going Blaney's way as his #12 Ford overtook Reddick's #45 Toyota during the final restart, taking the white flag as the leader.

However, while steering through Turn 3, the #12 Ford driver tried to move to the bottom but couldn't. His maneuver left the top lane wide open as the #45 driver pounced on the gas and ran close to the fence to take the lead and register his third win this season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. opined on the final lap move, saying he has witnessed the top lane passes nine out of 10 times at the venue. The NASCAR legend elaborated (via Dirty Mo Media on X).

"Every race that I've every watched there (Homestead-Miami), I see that pass happening in 9 out of 10 times. If the lead car goes into the third lane, middle lane, whatever you want to call that, I'm definitely expecting the car that Reddick's driving to make that pass more often than not," Junior said (0:19).

Keselowski's spotter TJ Majors opined on Blaney's mistake and said.

"I think that Blaney decided on that lane, he passed Denny there. I feel like he thought that was his fastest line at the time. With a guy like Tyler or Kyle Larson, if they're behind you, those guys are going to the fence. You take that away no matter what." (0:44)

Tyler Reddick's victory has saved him while Ryan Blaney still lingers below the elimination line, virtually putting him in a must-win situation at the upcoming Martinsville race.

Tyler Reddick's 'aggression' backfired and jeopardized his championship odds in Las Vegas

Tyler Reddick narrowly made it to the Round of 8 after edging out Joey Logano in the Round-of-12 finale hosted by Charlotte Roval. However, things went south during the Round-of-8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The 23XI Racing driver kicked off his South Point 400 race from second place and clinched the Stage 1 win, but tragedy struck a few laps later on Lap 90. Reddick pinned his #45 Toyota in the top lane, trying to overtake Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. in a single lunge. However, the room was insufficient and Reddick's Toyota screeched on the infield grass before going airborne, following the contact with Elliott.

Even though Reddick steered to the pitlane by himself, the crash marked a DNF, putting the regular season champion in a precarious position in the playoffs. Commenting on his 'aggressive' driving style, Tyler Reddick said (via NASCAR):

“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."

Tyler Reddick's Championship 4 ticket marked the first for the driver and the first for 23XI Racing since their first race at the 2021 Daytona 500.