What went through the nose of Tyler Reddick's car at Chicagoland?

Tyler Reddick is now 44 points behind Denny Hamlin in the championship standings, continuing to lose ground in a 173-point swing since Memorial Day Weekend.

But this latest issue was truly a case of bad luck. On Lap 132 of 267 as the race approached the halfway point, and in the middle of green flag pit stop cycle in Stage 2, Reddick's car suddenly slowed, leaking fluid everywhere. 

“We got a problem!" radioed Reddick with urgency. "I got water or something everywhere. I’m losing water pressure. I can’t f****** see. Nick [Payne, spotter], help me out here, I can’t see.”

The No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota made it back to pit road, blowing water and leaking oil all over the side of the Jordan-branded car. Both the radiator and oil cooler had holes punched straight them, but what actually pierced the front of his car?

Watching the onboard camera, a crew member holds up what appears to be a splitter or diffuser stay, a supporting brace used to hold it all together and connect it to the underside of the car.

NASCAR later confirmed on the Hauler Talk podcast that it was a splitter stay that came off the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford of Zane Smith, who was involved in an incident far earlier in the race.

 Tanner Marlar captured a great picture of the culprit, which you can see by clicking here.

Here's a graphic from Bozi Tatarevic on the purpose of the stays, which exist both at the front of the car around the splitter and the back at the rear diffuser

Due to the the nature of the damage being deemed a mechanical issue and not due to an incident, NASCAR allowed the No. 45 team to make repairs. In situations where the radiator is punctured due to a crash, teams are not allowed to replace it and their race will be over.

Reddick lost about 30 laps in the garage, returning to the race and finishing 36th. The once untouchable championship leader, who finished inside the top 15 in each of the first 14 races of the 2026 season, has now placed 25th or worse in three of the last four races.