"Turn 7 happened": Tyler Reddick reflects on the moment that almost derailed his 2024 Playoffs Round of 8 pursuit

23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick managed to dodge the Playoff elimination with an 11th-place finish in the ROVAL 400 race at Charlotte. The 28-year-old racer reflected on the turn 7 incident that almost derailed his entry into the 'Round of 8' during the post-race interview.

Reddick, the 2024 Cup Series Regular Season champion, started the ROVAL race in second position beside pole-sitter Shane Van Gisbergen. Although he lost a few positions at the start of the race, a well-planned pit stop saw Reddick gain the lost positions quickly. The Californian racer eventually grabbed the Stage 1 win.

However, Reddick's race took quite a turn in Stage 2. On lap 31, the #45 driver collided with Denny Hamlin during a turn 7 stack-up. The impact resulted in a flat rear tire for Reddick, along with substantial damage to the Toe Link on the right rear wheel.

Here's a look at the entire incident posted on YouTube by NASCAR:

Reddick's #45 23XI team eventually managed to fix the damage ahead of the third and final stage of the race, allowing the driver to do a recovery run. He managed to salvage his race by finishing in 11th position, thus securing his place in the Playoffs Round of 8.

During the post-race interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Reddick recalled the incident that almost ruined his day.

"Yeah, turn 7 happened. Um, I Don't know. I've seen a replay but basically I remember trying to get position on the car and when I get out of line, the inside of the #19 (Martin Truex Jr.). #3 (Austin Dillon) was spun around and everybody was trying to get load up big time to avoid him," he said.

"Yeah, not good. That would have been real bad if both of us missed it, but fortunately it worked out, survived, and we get to debrief about it and get ready for Vegas," Reddick reacted to hitting his boss and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Hamlin (0:33 onwards).

Here's a look at the interview posted on X, captioned:

"What happened to almost derail Tyler Reddick ’s 2024 playoffs?"

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“I think it goes to show every point matters” - Tyler Reddick's crew chief Billy Scott on surviving the Playoffs elimination at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Despite the odds faced by Tyler Reddick and his #45 crew during the ROVAL 400 race, the team managed to survive the Playoffs elimination at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Reddick's crew chief Billy Scott spoke about how every point mattered in the Playoff battles during the post-race media interaction.

“I think it goes to show every point matters. And I think you see it every year. About every round, it comes down to a few points — less than five, generally. So that’s just why you fight. I mean, even last week at Talladega, damage repair there, too. Watkins Glen — yeah, we’ve done it more often than we would like we’d like in these playoffs. So it’s just another statement that is how (much) it matters and never give one point on the table,” Scott commented.

As of now Tyler Reddick is placed third in the Drivers' championship. He trails Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell by 23 and 3 points, respectively.