Give credit where it's due: Reddick displayed grace, sportsmanship and class at Bristol

Other drivers may not have had the patience or empathy that Tyler Reddick had after Chase Briscoe's slide job cost Reddick his first Cup win.

OK, admit it.

Minutes after Chase Briscoe hip-checked Tyler Reddick out of the biggest moment of his racing life, just yards from the finish of the Food City Dirt Race on Sunday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, you expected Reddick to go full Ty Gibbs.

You know, get out of the car on pit road and let his anger overflow, maybe with a few well-placed fists. That’s how Xfinity Series driver Gibbs did it earlier this month at Martinsville when his chance at victory was snuffed by a last-lap bump from Sam Mayer.

Gibbs exited his car and delivered a couple of punches that left Mayer with a black eye. But it also cost Gibbs $15,000 for what NASCAR termed a "behavioral infraction."

That’s the NASCAR we know, right? Conflict, drama and a fight create a stir in the internet chatrooms, and you know deep down the governing body loves the attention.

Well, that’s not the game Tyler Reddick played Sunday night.

His victory ruined in the final corner when Briscoe’s Hail Mary attempt at a slide job turned into a bump and spin for both, Reddick had every reason to find the guy who was to blame and have some honest words. Which he did.

But get this: Reddick didn’t consider Briscoe the villain. Instead, the former looked within and blamed himself more than the other guy.

“I don’t think I did everything right,” Reddick said coolly. “I should have done a little bit better job. I shouldn’t have let him get that close. He ran me down.”

Yeah, but he was so close to his first Cup victory. An opportunity like this doesn’t happen every week. Why so calm?

Here’s why: Reddick is a racer. He knows what he lost, but he also understands what Briscoe was trying to achieve.

“We’re racing on dirt, going for the final move in the final corner,” Reddick said. “It’s everything as a driver you hope to battle for in his situation. It does suck, but we were able to finish second. I should have done a better job and pulled away so he wasn’t (able) to make that move.”

Classy.

Briscoe immediately approached Reddick, apologized and shook Reddick’s hand.

“It’s all good,” Reddick told his friend and competitive rival.

Chase Briscoe as he walked up pit road as he wanted to talk to Tyler Reddick: “If he punches me, he punches me. I get it.” … And as you can see, no punches. pic.twitter.com/6oydwwEcXv

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 18, 2022

Reddick didn’t promise a get-even moment in a future race nor stand behind a couple of beefy crewmen and shout “let me at him!” (Although a couple of crew members had that ready-to-rumble stance as Briscoe approached to apologize.)

Nor did Reddick even deliver one of those Kyle Busch-like postrace interviews – “Yep. Nope. You saw it.” – at a time when his emotions understandably could have been as hot as his Chevy’s radiator.

Reddick owned the moment.

He blamed himself for not driving clean-enough laps at the end of the race, allowing Briscoe to get close enough to try a slide job that didn’t work.

Denny Hamlin was so struck by Reddick’s postrace demeanor that he wrote on Twitter: “Reddick trying to get his straight-to-heaven pass on this Easter Sunday.”

Much of NASCAR’s popularity is built on drama, emotion and conflict. But that doesn’t mean a show of respect and class can’t have the same effect. Every dramatic finish doesn’t need a fight as Act 2.

One of the big things to emerge this season is the rise of young drivers like Reddick and Briscoe. This won’t be the last time they race door-to-door for a victory. Next time, if Briscoe is leading and Reddick chasing, don’t be surprised if Reddick pulls a similar move.

And if the outcome is the same, let’s hope it’s followed by more respect and a handshake.

Follow Kirby Arnold on Twitter @KirbyArnold