Tyler Reddick’s difficult stretch continued Sunday at Iowa Speedway.
The 23XI Racing driver saw his afternoon end almost as soon as it began after crashing with Erik Jones in Turn 1 on Lap 4 of the Iowa Corn 350, ending his race before he could complete five laps.
The incident marked Reddick’s second DNF of the season and another disappointing result during what has become a frustrating summer stretch for the NASCAR Cup Series championship contender.
Early Crash Ends Reddick’s Day
Reddick entered the weekend looking to gain ground in the Chase standings after qualifying inside the top five.
Instead, he lost control entering Turn 1 on Lap 4, slid up the racetrack and collected Jones, sending both Toyotas hard into the outside wall.
The damage proved too severe for Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota to continue, forcing the team to retire the car before the end of Stage 1.
Jones was also eliminated in the incident.
Another Setback in the Chase
The early exit couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Reddick entered Iowa 84 points behind Chase leader Denny Hamlin. With Hamlin still running, the DNF is expected to cost Reddick additional ground in the battle for the No. 1 Chase seed.
It also continues a troubling trend.
The 36th-place finish marks the sixth time in the last nine Cup Series races that Reddick has finished no better than 25th. And his average finish over the last seven events now falls to 25.8, a dramatic decline for a driver who spent much of the first half of the season in Victory Lane.
The Iowa disappointment also represents Reddick’s second DNF of the 2026 season, adding another frustrating chapter to what has become an increasingly difficult summer for the No. 45 team.
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