Tyler Reddick has called out his fellow NASCAR drivers following a chaotic Round of 16 race at Watkins Glen last weekend, criticizing the current state of driving etiquette within the sport.
During an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Reddick revealed his frustrations with what he perceives as a decline in respect between drivers, attributing it to a widespread disregard for the traditional “driver code.” Reddick commented:
“There is no more driver code. It’s gone.
“I got home, and I was on the couch and saw Martin Truex Jr.’s postrace comments. And it’s so relatable. I completely get where he is at. I get it. You go back and watch people drive into the corner on the restarts use the car ahead as a brake pedal. It just sucks.”
Reddick, who acknowledged his own past mistakes on the track, detailed his aversion to the current aggressive style.
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“Call me a hypocrite if you want, I’ve made my mistakes, screwed up and run people over. I just don’t like driving into the corner and using someone in front as a brake.
“Running someone a little wide is one thing but running someone off the track — I don’t like racing that way. I’ve been fortunate in years’ past at these road courses to be ahead of a lot of that crap.
“Yesterday was one of the few days where we just had an all-around bad day and were right there in the middle of it. Seeing it just sucks. It is what it is. I hope that it changes. But with the old car you could bump a little bit, but you would knock your radiator out.
“This car, it just seems like you can use your front bumper as a battering ram. You can just knock people out of the way if you want to. I think in certain situations that’s great when you’re racing mono a mono and you have to work really hard to get to someone’s bumper and give them a shot, that’s one thing. But I don’t like seeing us go into the corner like that and just use each other up. It’s hard to watch.”
The race at Watkins Glen saw several high-profile incidents, exacerbating frustrations among drivers. Notably, Martin Truex Jr., a seasoned driver with two decades of experience, echoed Reddick’s sentiments. Truex, who finished 20th, voiced his concerns about the aggressive driving style that has become commonplace. He explained:
“It’s just crazy that all these races always come down to this.
“I don’t really understand how guys can call their self the best in the world when they just drive through everyone on restarts at the end of these races. It’s very frustrating but it is what it is these days, so I’m out of here.”
