Tyler Reddick's late-race call at NASCAR's Anduril 250 on Naval Base Coronado drew sharp criticism from Kevin Harvick. Reddick chose to back off after contact with teammate Corey Heim while battling for the win in the closing laps.
What happened?
The incident unfolded after Heim had spent nearly 10 laps shadowing Reddick. By Lap 70, the gap was consistently less than a second, as the pressure built. With three laps to go, Heim closed rapidly and attacked into Turn 2.
Reddick got loose under braking, opening the door. Heim took the lead, but the fight was not over. Reddick responded immediately, diving back to the inside and making contact, pushing Heim toward the wall exiting the next corner.
Why it matters for Tyler Reddick
Kevin Harvick did not hold back in his criticism, stating he hated everything about Reddick's decision. Harvick acknowledged that hard racing late in a race naturally involves contact and expected Reddick to keep fighting rather than reset the battle.
Harvick's view was that if Reddick felt he crossed a line, giving the position back later would be acceptable. But lifting in the moment neutralized the fight, which proved costly for Reddick. Moments after regaining the lead, Corey Heim pulled clear, while Tyler Reddick suffered a left-front tire failure entering Turn 5.
What comes next?
The decision resulted in a 25th-place finish for Reddick, turning what looked like a race win into a major setback. Denny Hamlin, 23XI Racing co-owner, took the opposite stance, praising Reddick's character for the decision, which reflected his racing standards rather than a mistake.
Hamlin explained that Reddick felt Heim had raced him clean and tried to pass him back clean. When he didn't, Reddick wanted to hit the reset button and try again. Hamlin was proud of Reddick's actions, which showed his character in a tough racing situation.
Reddick's finish was a disappointment, given that all four 23XI entries were running inside the top five at one stage. The team still placed three cars in the top 10, with Heim winning, Bubba Wallace finishing second, and Riley Herbst eighth. Reddick's late-race sequence will be a key point of discussion moving forward