Reddick's Historic NASCAR Start
Tyler Reddick made history by winning the first three races of the 2026 Cup Series season — Daytona 500, Atlanta, and Circuit of the Americas. This marks the first time a driver has opened a season with three consecutive wins. Shane van Gisbergen finished second at COTA, ending his five-race road course winning streak.
Reddick's victory at the Circuit of the Americas makes him the first driver in NASCAR's 77-year history to win the opening three races of the Cup Series season. The wins at Daytona, a superspeedway; Atlanta, a high-speed oval; and COTA, a road course, demonstrate a significant versatility early in the season. This historic start follows a winless 2025 season for the 30-year-old driver. A victory in the next race at Phoenix Raceway would place Reddick in elite company as only the ninth driver in NASCAR's modern era (1972-present) to win four consecutive races. Of the previous eight drivers to achieve this feat, five went on to win the championship in the same year. The all-time record for consecutive wins is 10, set by Richard Petty in 1967. The three-peat is a landmark achievement for 23XI Racing, co-owned by basketball legend Michael Jordan and driver Denny Hamlin. The Daytona 500 victory was the first for both Reddick and the team, which was formed in 2020. Jordan, who was present for the COTA win, has invested a reported $35-40 million into the team. The win at COTA was Reddick's second at the track, making it the first venue where he has multiple career victories. In securing the win, he held off Shane van Gisbergen, who had been the dominant force on road courses. Van Gisbergen's second-place finish snapped his five-race winning streak on road courses. The Trackhouse Racing driver was attempting to tie Jeff Gordon's record of six consecutive road course victories, a mark that has stood since 2000. Van Gisbergen's streak included wins at Mexico City, Chicago, Sonoma, and the Charlotte Roval in 2025.
