“We just got separated”: Tyler Reddick reflects on helping Bubba Wallace for the lead after ‘tough day’ in Kansas 

Tyler Reddick explained how he tried to 'push' Bubba Wallace during the overtime restart at Kansas Speedway. He lamented the pit road 'struggles' that made it a 'tough day' in an otherwise fast Toyota.

During Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400, Reddick began in 12th, but fell back multiple spots by Stage 1. He went outside the top-20 and couldn't get any further than P14 through both stages.

Wallace, on the other hand, found himself among the top-10 by Stage 2. Eventually, he made it to the front and was leading the field during the final caution. Wallace initially lost ground to Christopher Bell on the overtime restart, but Reddick's push from the second row helped him overcome the JGR driver.

Nonetheless, an aggressive battle with Denny Hamlin derailed the Alabama native's lead, sending him down the order to fifth, while Reddick placed just behind at seventh. Reflecting on his final lap efforts to help Wallace, Reddick spoke to NBC Sports and said,

"I just tried to give (Wallace) the best push I could. I was really fortunate the previous restart that he was able to hold the lead. I don’t know, I tried to push him, and we just got separated. Obviously, I want to push him out, try to help him win, and then obviously keep the gap closed up to try to be in second and have a shot at it myself.

"It was a tough day. I really thought our beast Toyota Camry was really fast. We just had struggles on pit road. That’s part of racing. It’s tough" he added.

The top-5 at Kansas were largely filled with Toyota drivers, with the only exception being race winner Chase Elliott. Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace now head to the final race of the Round of 12 in a must-win situation, as the pair are over 20 points below the playoff cutline.

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Tyler Reddick defends his poor form this year

Tyler Reddick recently went over the Door Bumper Clear podcast and responded to claims of his 'down year' at 23Xl Racing. Compared to Bubba Wallace, the No.45 driver has gone winless this year, a far cry from being crowned the regular-season champion last season.

While Reddick admitted to the falloff in performance, he remained confident of his overall pace.

"When you get in the details of it. Yeah, we're a little, we haven't performed quite like we did last year, but it's not like to a astronomical level," he said

Next up, Tyler Reddick looks for redemption at the Charlotte Roval, a track where he's had multiple top-10s and a pole start in 2023. Notably, Reddick has won Stage 1 in his last two outings at the road course configuration.