Entering Daytona, Tyler Reddick was 29 points above Alex Bowman, who currently holds the 16th and final spot in the playoffs. With 20 drivers who could potentially win their way into the playoffs and knock out that 16th driver on Saturday night, no one wants to be on the bubble.
Despite starting on the front row, Bowman fell back through the pack, severely hindering his efforts to score stage points and bridge the gap to Reddick.
After 18 laps, Bowman got handed a gift when Reddick made an unforced error. Running just outside the top ten, Reddick pushed up while three-wide in the middle of the pack. He made contact with Todd Gilliland and the two cars went spinning.
Reddick’s car slammed the inside wall, causing significant damage to the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota.
Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
Bowman out of the race
However, the good fortune for Bowman did not last. After just 27 laps, Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch came together in a tri-oval squeeze. A multi-car wreck broke out, collecting Bowman.
Along with the mentioned drivers, Austin Cindric, Noah Gragson, Denny Hamlin, Austin Hill, Riley Herbst, and Zane Smith also sustained notable damage in the chaos.
The No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was among those who suffered significant damage — even more than Reddick’s earlier incident. He was unable to drive the car back to the pits and was taken back to the garage. As the driver who had to gain ground on Reddick, this wreck essentially sealed his fate. He is officially out of the race.
Reddick is now locked into the postseason, while Bowman will have to watch the rest of the race and pray that one of those 20 drivers facing a must-win situation doesn’t capture the checkered flag, or the Hendrick Motorsports driver will be eliminated from the playoffs.
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