AUSTIN, Texas — 4 in a row. Why not?
Tyler Reddick already has defied the chances in successful three straight races to open the 2026 NASCAR Cup Collection season. So what’s to say he can’t maintain the streak going?
Reddick gained the season-opening Daytona 500 with a last-lap surge previous Chase Elliott. He made a second straight journey to victory lane at EchoPark Speedway close to Atlanta minus the right-front fender on his No. 45 Toyota.
Successful the 2 drafting-track races was troublesome sufficient, given the random, chaotic nature of these occasions.
“That’s why I’m assured in it not occurring once more in my lifetime, due to the randomness issue of these races,” mentioned Denny Hamlin, who co-owns Reddick’s No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota Camry with former NBA famous person Michael Jordan. “Defying odds, that’s for positive.”
“I don’t know when you parlayed all of your winnings from the primary week, second week, third week what you’d have. I’m positive somebody has figured that out, however it will be a giant quantity.”
Reddick accomplished his unprecedented trifecta on Sunday with a press release win on the two.4-mile circuit at Circuit of The Americas, beating road-course ace Shane van Gisbergen within the course of.
With two poles, a win and a median end of 4.2 at COTA, Reddick anticipated to be robust on the technical highway course, however he hadn’t been in a position to beat three-time Australian Supercars champion Van Gisbergen, who entered Sunday’s race on a streak of 5 straight road-course victories.
Reddick closed the deal decisively, protecting SVG behind him throughout an 18-lap run to the end and pulling away to win by 3.944 seconds.
23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace greeted Reddick with a hug and the tongue-in-cheek “I’m ‘bout bored with you freaking successful.”
From a handicapping standpoint, the streak ought to finish with subsequent Sunday’s Straight Discuss Wi-fi 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Reddick’s common end on the one-mile observe is 17.8. His final two outcomes there have been twentieth and twenty sixth final yr.
Alternatively, Reddick spent the offseason learning and enhancing his weaknesses as a driver. Certainly one of his objectives was to beat Van Gisbergen on a highway course. Verify that field.
“The one space that we proceed to work on with him is on the quick tracks,” Hamlin acknowledged. “I feel that’s the place he can nonetheless enhance a bit of bit. However we’re working fairly onerous on enhancing him at these sorts of tracks…
“What I’ve seen out of him over the previous couple of years is simply the place he had some weaknesses, our crew has helped him shore these up. It’s superb to see how nicely he’s doing.”
So don’t low cost Reddick’s probabilities at Phoenix, regardless of the lackluster stats. The 30-year-old Californian managed this season’s improve of 75 horsepower at COTA higher than another driver, operating conservatively within the first stage and discovering the candy spot between aggression and tire conservation because the race progressed.
The additional horsepower will come into play at Phoenix. So will the inspiration Reddick drew from the category of 2026 NASCAR Corridor of Fame inductions in January.
“I used to be in a position to go to this yr’s Corridor of Fame inductions,” Reddick mentioned. “I acquired to see (former 23XI driver) Kurt Busch inducted, Harry Gant, a variety of different guys — Ray Hendrick. Seeing Harry Gant up there speaking about his stretch… Mr. September.
“I don’t know if it had something to do with it (his present streak), however simply seeing him discuss that run he had there, it’s simply so cool.”
In September of 1991, Gant gained consecutive races at Darlington, Richmond, Dover and Martinsville.
For Reddick, matching Gant’s 4 straight wins with a victory at Phoenix could be an uphill climb—however not inconceivable. After that comes Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the place Reddick has a pole and 6 high 10s in 12 begins.
“We’ve labored onerous to form of rethink how we get round Phoenix, and we’ve simply form of doubled down on the issues that we’ve been enhancing at Vegas,” Reddick mentioned. “Truthfully, I’m very excited to see what sort of tempo now we have at Phoenix and Vegas because it comes up.”
And who is aware of? When the Cup tour visits Sin Metropolis, we is perhaps speaking about Reddick’s probabilities to win for a fifth straight time.
