Tyler Reddick looked poised for a strong night in the Busch Light Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, telling his team over the radio that his car was handling well and had the speed to compete. But after restarting in the outside lane, everything changed. Reddick lost valuable track position and was never able to recover, leaving him frustrated with the outcome.
What Went Wrong?
Reddick’s No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota showed promise in the early laps, and his confidence over the radio reflected that. However, a restart in the dreaded outside lane—a tough spot on Bowman Gray’s tight quarter-mile track—proved to be a turning point.
“I thought our car was really good, and I told the team that,” Reddick said after the race. “But once we got stuck on the outside, it just went the wrong way.”
With minimal grip up top, Reddick struggled to find his rhythm and quickly lost several spots. From there, the narrow track and lack of passing opportunities made it nearly impossible to claw his way back toward the front.
The Bowman Gray Challenge
Bowman Gray’s layout is notorious for being one of the hardest places to pass, making track position everything. Once Reddick fell back, he found himself trapped in traffic with little room to make up ground.
“Once you get shuffled back here, it’s tough to get back where you need to be,” Reddick explained. “I felt like we had the speed, but there just wasn’t much I could do in traffic.”
Looking Ahead
While the Clash didn’t go the way Reddick had hoped, his early speed could be an encouraging sign for the upcoming Daytona 500. With 23XI Racing continuing to build momentum, Reddick will now shift his focus to NASCAR’s biggest race and a fresh opportunity to start the season strong.
“Disappointing way to end the night, but we’ll move on,” Reddick said. “Next up, Daytona.”
