"That was the last opportunity to make that move" - 23XI's Tyler Reddick explains why he had to bump Buscher at Darlington

23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick was remorseful of his incident with Chris Buescher during the recent race at Darlington Raceway.

Talladega winner Tyler Reddick secured the pole position on Saturday and led the most number of laps at the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 race at Darlington Raceway on Sunday. Initially cruising to another victory, the former Richard Childress Racing driver was involved in a late scuffle with RFK Racing drivers Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher.

With just 10 laps remaining at Darlington, Reddick seized what he believed to be his final opportunity to make a move on Buescher. He attempted to pass Buescher by pushing him toward the wall, but his calculations fell short, resulting in contact between their cars.

The incident allowed Buescher's teammate and RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski to capitalize and ultimately claim victory, ending his 110-race winless streak. However, Chris Buescher was left seething at Tyler Reddick after the incident, particularly after his historic 0.001s loss to Kyle Larson a week prior in Kansas.

Reflecting on the incident, Reddick expressed remorse and explained his thought process behind the move during an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The former Richard Childress Racing driver said:

"I waited for that opportunity to come in the last handful apps in it and it hasn't in the past for me. It doesn't change what happened unfortunately but from where I was sitting I thought Christopher was starting to really figure out three and four. He was starting really get it dialled in, it wasn't gonna be long until he was able to really rip the top."

In a bid to justify his actions, Tyler Reddick emphasized that, from his perspective, it felt like time was running out. According to him, the move on Buescher represented his last chance to contend for the lead. The 23XI driver stated:

"Just with when I was looking at it at the time, the options I thought I had as a table. I thought that was going to be the last opportunity for me. I thought that was the last opportunity to make that move."

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Tyler Reddick wasn't ready to settle for a second-place finish

Despite recognizing the potential consequences of his actions, Tyler Reddick was unwilling to settle for anything less than victory. He revealed:

"We led 174 laps. If I just settle for second after the day that we had and don't give my all for my team, I'm not doing my part as a driver for this organization."

Reddick, who is in his second season as a 23XI Racing driver, also acknowledged the hard work of his team. The 28-year-old driver explained:

"If I just take second place, we have a good solid day but man, my team works really really hard to give me race winning cars."

After 14 races in the 2024 season, Tyler Reddick finds himself in sixth position in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. He has 396 points to his name, courtesy of a victory in Talladega.