Pole-starter Tyler Reddick dropped out early from Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway, absorbing the impact of a Stage 1 wreck that placed a dent in his playoff hopes.
Reddick’s No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet had led for 38 laps after an early competition caution, but he smacked the outside retaining wall exiting Turn 2 at the 1.5-mile track, damaging the car’s right side.
RELATED: Official results | At-track photos
“The right-rear tire just blew like we’ve had a few times,” Reddick said after a check at the infield care center. “At Fontana, I was able to save it. But here, it snapped at the worst possible point and we just killed the wall. It broke the control arm on the right-front, so our day was over.
“We leave here with not a lot of points, so we’ll have to fight hard at Bristol.”
Reddick completed just 67 of the 267 scheduled laps in the Hollywood Casino 400. He placed 35th in the 36-car field, with only Kevin Harvick — a fellow playoff contender and the race’s first retiree — finishing worse.
Reddick finished third in the playoff opener last weekend at Darlington Raceway, offsetting some of the negative effects of his Kansas crash. He sits two points above the cut line, tied with rookie Austin Cindric for 11th place in the postseason standings.
The four lowest-ranked drivers among the 16 playoff contenders will be eliminated after Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race (7:30 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM) at Bristol Motor Speedway.
NASCAR® and its marks are trademarks of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Copyright © 2022 NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. All rights reserved.