Watch Tyler Reddick Flip Through the Air at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

After winning the first stage Sunday in the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Tyler Reddick's day turned for the worst eight laps later when Martin Truex Jr. and playoff driver Chase Elliott collided and sending the 23XI driver into the wall and then sliding down the track before flipping through the air.

When Reddick's No. 45 Toyota hit the entry to the quarter-mile track in the Las Vegas infield, he was sent flipping through the air before landing back on four wheels and driving off to the pits. Brad Keselowski was also collected, sliding high up the track and into the wall.

Both Reddick and Keselowski were forced to retire from damage.

Reddick acknowledged that his aggressive manner of racing on mile-and-a-half tracks ultimately led to him being collected in the lap 90 crash.

"You just have to be aggressive on restarts," Reddick said after being released from the infield care center. "It’s how this next-gen racing has been since the beginning. I saw them both have a moment, and I had a split second to make a decision. You’ve got to be aggressive; you’ve got to try and get the spots back on a restart."

While being more conservative on the restart might've saved Reddick's day and playoff points buffer, the regular season champion said it's just not the type of racer he is.

"I needed to make the decision earlier when I saw them sliding and just be a little bit more conservative," Reddick said. "That would’ve avoided the incident. That’s not who I am, and that’s not what we do."

Elliott has returned to the pits multiple times, able to keep minimal speed on the race track but fighting damage; as the race runs, the 2020 Champion is running 27 laps off the pace.

Behind, Playoff driver Ryan Blaney also spun, hitting the wall; Blaney returned four laps down; the defending champion had to start at the back of the field after going to a backup car after a hard practice crash on Saturday.

Reddick will be scored in 35th of 37 drivers, but not all hope is lost as many of the playoff drivers are struggling in the race, with only half of the eight playoff drivers running on the lead lap at the start of Stage 3.

You Might Also Like

• You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox

• Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners

• The Man Who Signs Every Car