"The tipping point was at the ROVAL" - Tyler Reddick reveals Kevin Harvick as the reason behind his lackluster short track game upturn

23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick has reflected upon his mundane short-track racing prowess that witnessed a remarkable turnaround owing to Kevin Harvick's wreck in the 2020 Charlotte race.

The Bristol Motor Speedway hosted the unprecedented tire-eating Food City 500 race, where Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin finished first, dethroning his teammate Ty Gibbs, who swept both stages but ended ninth.

The 500-lap race witnessed such a severe degradation of the rubber that the officials were prompted to permit another set during the race, increasing the number from nine sets to ten. Tyler Reddick's run at the 0.533-mile short track ended at a dismal P30, after getting collected in a wreck that ended his dominance.

However, that doesn't downplay the #45 Toyota driver's prowess on the short tracks, which once lacked in his driving. While switching from dirt to concrete and debuting in the NASCAR Cup Series 2020, the 28-year-old got a reality check.

It happened at the 1.5-mile ROVAL, where Reddick has already registered a win and a runner-up spot during his Xfinity Series runs but failed to exercise the same dominance during the Cup Series race. Furthermore, his wreck with Kevin Harvick during the 2020 Bank Of America Roval 400 race was a game-changer for Reddick.

During the Harvick Happy Hour podcast, the Californian detailed how his run-in with Harvick served as a reflection point for the former (via X):

"The tipping point was at the ROVAL a couple of years ago. You’re, you had some sort of issue you’re trying to come back through the field, and I’m just lost out there trying to go in the backstretch chicane."

Reddick added:

"And I think I’m at the braking zone, right, and I brake so early you a**-packed me I think it destroyed your radiator. It destroyed your race car, right? I’m back here running 30th just in everybody’s way.”

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Tyler Reddick's ride gets "killed" after getting collected in the multi-car pileup at Bristol

Though Ty Gibbs sealed Stage 1, it was Tyler Reddick who grabbed the lead after opting to stay out during the caution on lap 23. However, his hopes for a Food City 500 stage win were shattered when he spun out on the concrete of Bristol Motor Speedway.

While maneuvering through the turn on lap 31, Reddick got nudged by Josh Berry's #4 Ford, Michael McDowell's car, and Zane Smith from behind, disrupting his lead. But it was Carson Hocevar, who, moments later, crashed into the 23XI Racing driver, and severely damaged the front end of his ride.

Following the race at Bristol, the 23XI Racing driver opened up on his fifth Cup Series weekend as he sat down during the Door Bumper Clear podcast, saying (01:14:10):

"I knew my car was damaged but I did not know it was quite literally destroyed in the front. And I’m out there racing with people and I’m wondering why people are getting frustrated. Then I see my car after the race and I’m like “Oh.” It was like killed. But I was still in the mix. It was like aero didn’t matter as much."