Kevin Harvick takes issue with Tyler Reddick 'pathetic' over-apologizing to Chris Buescher
After the Cup Series race at Darlington, Chris Buescher and Tyler Reddick had a bit of a moment on pit road. Kevin Harvick didn’t like it. At least, he didn’t like what Reddick had to say after almost getting into a classic NASCAR fight.
When Buescher was charging towards Reddick, I don’t think anyone knew what he would do. Drivers, even mild-mannered drivers, have done more over less than being wrecked from the lead with 10 laps to go.
Kevin Harvick has no problem with what Chris Buescher did. He just wishes that Tyler Reddick wouldn’t apologize so profusely.
“I hated that [Reddick] interview. I did,” Harvick said on his Happy Hour podcast. He went further. “I don’t like when these guys go down the road of apologizing so much that it’s just pathetic. Honestly, that’s how I feel. I understand that – I just wish they would apologize and just say, ‘I had to do what I had to do to try to win the race. It didn’t work out, I’m sorry. I apologize for doing that. If I had to do it again I wish we had both continued.’ But don’t overapologize, please. Please do not over apologize.”
He reiterated his stance a moment later.
“Over apologize off the camera.”
Mamba Smith, Harvick’s co-host also chimed in on Tyler Reddick and his apology.
“Right? When he wins, he’s one of the most elated winners that you see,” Smith said. “When he loses, he takes it all on himself. To your point, I wish he wouldn’t do that so much in those situations because Tyler, it’s fine. You’re racing for a win, it’s not your job to make sure that the 17 has a fair shot at it. It’s your job to win for the 45 and 23XI and that’s okay.”
“I love the fact that he shot that thing in there trying to make a slide job happen,” Harvick responded. “Like, I love the way that Tyler Reddick drives. I don’t want to be overcritical but I just wish he would not worry about, some of them, not just Tyler, but some of them would just not worry about apologizing so much that it seems overdone. ‘Hey I didn’t want that to happen, I’m sorry, I hate that for Chris,’ and just move on. Just don’t sink us in a sympathy train.”
Kevin Harvick knows about having to apologize. He saw his fair share of heated moments on pit road and of course, fights. He gave his perspective as a driver on the situation.
“I think you have to apologize, but you never want, I never wanted to overdo it because I think it, I didn’t want it to end that way but I did want to make that move and I’m not going to apologize for trying to make a move that is spectacular and it would have been a spectacular move,” Harvick explained. “It just didn’t work out. Don’t apologize for being a dynamic, spectacular driver. I just, I don’t know. That’s just how I felt about it when I heard it.”
Above all else, Harvick just wants Tyler Reddick to know, he did the right thing on the track.
“If I’m Tyler Reddick’s crew chief or team owner I’m pulling him in there today and I’m saying, ‘Look man, I don’t want you to think twice about any of this. Do the exact same thing again, I want you to be that guy,” Harvick continued.
“I bet money that he had a text from Mr. Michael Jordan after like, ‘You’re my guy. This is why you’re driving my car,'” Mamba Smith shot back. “Because Michael’s a guy … he doesn’t car he just wants to win.”
Did Tyler Reddick get too apologetic on pit road? Should he have stood up for himself a little more?