After crashing out of the NASCAR Cup Series HighPoint.com 400 on Sunday, Austin Dillon made his displeasure with Tyler Reddick clear for all to see.
Dillon was running 11th on Lap 106 at Pocono Raceway when his No. 3 car made contact with Reddick's No. 45 car. That caused Dillon to spin out, and he crashed hard into the outside wall. It ended Dillon's day and consigned him to a 34th-place finish.
MORE: Results, highlights from HighPoint.com 400 at Pocono
Here's a look at the collision and the ensuing crash:
A look at what led to Austin Dillon throwing his helmet at Tyler Reddick. #NASCAR | @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/ojHMhIKpXm
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 23, 2023
Minutes after the incident occurred, Dillon was still seething. He made his way to the apron of the track and threw his helmet at Reddick's car as it passed by.
Austin Dillon helmet throw
AUSTIN DILLON THROWS HIS HELMET AT TYLER REDDICK! 😳 #NASCAR | @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/0nYgcCtzlZ
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 23, 2023
Unfortunately for Dillon, his throw didn't hit its target as his helmet bounced behind Reddick's car as it drove by.
Dillon aired his grievances with Reddick to the media after he exited the race, saying he was "pissed" about the collision.
"I thought I was doing the right thing just going into the middle lane of the track," he told reporters. "I wasn't on the bottom lane, I was going to hold the middle. He drove up into me from the bottom lane.
"I'm pissed about it because from my perspective I couldn't see him. I know I was three wide, but my left front is in front of him. That's the bigger thing. I'm in front of him, so I didn't come down egregiously. He drove in the corner deep enough to try and get me back, to get his right front in front of my left front. That was not possible with how I drove in the corner and he wiped me out."
Austin Dillon describes why he was mad with Tyler Reddick and how he wished he would have timed his helmet throw a little different: pic.twitter.com/sMVYcWd4pC
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 23, 2023
Austin Dillon, Tyler Reddick teammate history
Dillon and Reddick were teammates at Richard Childress Racing from 2020-22. Reddick left RCR for 23XI Racing at the beginning of this season. Kyle Busch replaced him in the No. 8 car.
When asked by USA Network's Kim Coon whether he needed to speak with Reddick or if the helmet toss was sufficient, Dillon responded, "I just need to start wrecking some people."
While Dillon was forced to exit the race, Reddick continued with little damage to his car.
