Tyler Reddick made history at the Circuit of Americas while stopping Shane van Gisbergen’s bid to tie a record, becoming the first driver since NASCAR’s Cup Series was founded in 1949 to win the season’s first three races.

“It means the world”

Reddick replied when asked what his history-making victory meant to him.

“It’s so fitting. We get going at the end there and I’m leading and there’s SVG, the guy I’ve been trying to beat for a while now. Just to be able to outlast him there and hold on for the win is just incredible. It was so important, so fitting that we were able to get three in a row and make history.”

Reddick, who started from the pole in Sunday’s DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix, was clearly the class of the field. Even though he was challenged by Ryan Blaney and van Gisbergen at various times during the event, Reddick drove a flawless race. He led 58 of the 95 laps on the 2.4-mile, 20-turn course and finished 3.944 seconds ahead of van Gisbergen, who had won the Cup Series last five road/street course races. If van Gisbergen had won, he would have tied Jeff Gordon’s record of six-consecutive road-course victories.

Van Gisbergen complained of no lateral grip during the race, and it was clear in the final 15 laps that Reddick’s Toyota possessed more horsepower than Van Gisbergen’s Chevrolet on the long front stretch.

“His (Reddick) driving was immaculate and his car was very good, too,” said Van Gisbergen, who won Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at COTA. “It’s weird to be disappointed with second.”

Prior to Reddick’s history-making run, five drivers had won the season’s first two races. They were:

• Matt Kenseth, 2009, Daytona and Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, California.
• Jeff Gordon, 1997, Daytona and Rockingham, North Carolina.
• David Pearson, 1976, Riverside, California, and Daytona.
• Bob Welborn, 1959, Champion Speedway, Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Daytona 500 qualifier.
• Marvin Panch, 1957, Willow Springs, Lancaster, California, and Concord, North Carolina.

After a winless 2025 season, the 30-year-old Reddick’s start to 2026 has left many people shaking their heads in disbelief.

“It’s time for change”

a jubilant 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan said after high fiving Reddick’s team on pit road.

“Tyler came in with the most pressure. Everybody expected him or he had a chance to win three in a row, and that’s the hardest one to win. He kept to his strategy, and, man, the guys put together a great car."

“I think (crew chief) Billy (Scott) did an unbelievable job in calling … the race, and Tyler did a good job. He beat some good competition. You see SVG coming back there, you get a little nervous, but I think he had him covered pretty much the whole day.”

Team owner Michael Jordan and Tyler Reddick.

Jordan credited team co-owner Denny Hamlin as being the “mastermind” who found Reddick and put him with Scott.

“I just put up the money,”

Jordan said.

“I think Denny has done an unbelievable job in terms of helping build this team, and I think the team has done a good job of taking on leadership and going out and winning. That’s what it’s about, winning.”

Just three races into the season 23XI Racing has clearly established itself as a title contender as Reddick’s victories have come on three different style tracks—the 2.5-mile Daytona superspeedway, the 1.54-mile track at Atlanta that races like a superspeedway, and now a road course.

Prior to Reddick’s COTA victory, he had won at 10 different tracks. Sunday’s victory made him the first driver to secure two victories at COTA since the Cup Series began racing there in 2021. His first COTA victory came in 2023. In six races at COTA, Reddick has finished outside the top five only once. That occurred in the inaugural event when he placed ninth.

Reddick’s 11th career victory has given him a 70-point lead over 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace in the driver standings. Rounding out the top five in the standings, respectively, are Chase Elliott, Blaney, and Van Gisbergen.

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