Tyler Reddick dejected after Coronado loss: ‘Today’s result’s on me’

CORONADO, Calif. -- Tyler Reddick appeared in command late in Sunday's inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Naval Base Coronado. But with his young 23XI Racing teammate Corey Heim chasing him down, Reddick missed the entry to Turn 2 with three laps remaining, allowing Heim to pounce. After the duo exchanged crossovers and contact, Heim pulled away for his first victory. Reddick suffered a flat left-front tire with two laps remaining and sunk to a 25th-place finish. RELATED: Race results | At-track photos Starting from the rear after unapproved adjustments were needed following a spin in Saturday's qualifying session, Reddick still found himself in contention to win the race. But Reddick said he was too aggressive in trying to charge toward the finish, diving to Heim's left through the sweeping, left-handed Turn 5 and sending Heim wide into the tire marbles out of the groove as Heim's No. 67 Toyota bounced off the wall momentarily. That only compounded Reddick's disappointment as his lead in the Cup Series standings shrank to just eight points after Sunday's contest. "I'd say the only way this day could have been worse is if somehow the contact we had took him out of winning this race as well," Reddick said. "Above all else, I made a couple mistakes and it cost me the lead. Then I made some more mistakes trying to get the lead back. So ultimately, today's result's on me, whether it was the spin and having to go to the back in qualifying yesterday, the disaster it was today during the race. Yeah, just wasn't a good day." Reddick credited Heim for racing him cleanly but reprimanded himself for his own late-race missteps. "I certainly overdid it and ran him in the wall and initiated the contact -- everything," Reddick said. "So yeah, just not the way you should race a teammate." A five-time winner in 2026, Reddick has led the points standings all year since winning the season-opening Daytona 500. Following the May 10 race at Watkins Glen International, his margin over second place was a whopping 129 points. That cushion has evaporated in the five races since. Part of that diminishing lead is credited to a 35th-place finish at Michigan International Speedway and Sunday's 25th-place finish at Coronado. "We're going down the wrong path right now and we need to stop it," Reddick said. "We're just not getting the job done, not winning races, not having good point days. We've got to figure it out." The other reason his advantage has dwindled is the recent success of Denny Hamlin, the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota who also co-owns Reddick's 23XI Racing team. Hamlin entered Sunday having won each of the past three Cup Series races. That streak ended at the San Diego course, but his 14th-place finish allowed him an 11-point gain on Reddick. Those gains are fantastic for Denny Hamlin, the driver. And while he understood Reddick's dejection, Denny Hamlin the owner simply hopes his driver Reddick doesn't get blinded by the downsides. "If I could have one wish, it would be that all of our teams be very proud of what they did today," Hamlin said. "I mean, we had four of the top five or six inside a few laps to go. I know it’s easy to just stare at your hood pins and only think about the short-term. I guarantee you Tyler is thinking about the short-term. But he started last. He had to come from the back multiple times. (Second-place finisher) Bubba Wallace came from the back multiple times. We got our other young drivers out there in the top five. "Everyone needs to be proud and look at the day as half-full even though I understand the result is not what he wanted. In the grand scheme of things, it’s great to see that our cars have the speed to go out there and win and all of ’em can do it."