Cup: Reddick Makes History, Goes 3 For 3 to Start 2026 Season

What’s Happening?

The checkered flag flew down in Austin, Texas, as Tyler Reddick made history by winning his third straight race to kick off the 2026 season. With this win, he starts the year with a massive points lead. No other driver is within 70 points of Reddick in the points standings. Who would have guessed going into this race that SVG not only wouldn’t be the dominant car but also would only lead a handful of laps? The No. 97 team was just off in general, from a slower-than-usual qualifying effort on Saturday and a car that didn’t turn to SVG’s liking. Luckily for much of the field, it opened the door of opportunity for other drivers to pounce and dethrone SVG as King of the road, at least in Austin.

Here are the key things to take away from today’s Cup Series battle at Circuit of the Americas.

✅ DAYTONA
✅ EchoPark Speedway
✅ COTA

Tyler Reddick gets it done again! pic.twitter.com/1jbrK2P519

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 1, 2026

• All eyes were on Tyler Reddick going into today’s race as he attempted to do what no driver has ever done before–win the first three races of the season. He was off to a good start, scoring the Busch Light Pole Award for the second week in a row. When the green flag dropped, he led the opening three laps before surrendering the lead to Ross Chastain. He remained in contention, though, showing to have one of the best cars, along with Ryan Blaney, late in the going as the two of them duked it out for the win. In the end, though, no one could keep up with Reddick as he went on to capture his third flag in third starts to kick off the 2026 season.
• Shane van Gisbergen, the somewhat undisputed King of the Road, was the guy with the biggest target on his back heading into today’s race. There wasn’t a driver in the field today who didn’t want to see his reign of terror on road courses come to an end. Luckily for them, that No. 97 team was generally off today. They battled handling issues in practice and qualifying and the car wasn’t dialed into SVG’s liking. This hindered his chances to contend for the win and he had to settle for a 2nd place finish.
• Connor Zilisch, who is known for his road racing skills in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, had a lot of work ahead of him today. He started deep in the pack and remained there for much of the first two stages. However, after the race wore on and cycles of green flag pit stops happened, he found himself solidly in the top 15, battling for a top 10 finish. He ultimately came home in the 14th position.
• The first caution for the incident flew with 21 laps to go as Ross Chastain lost a tire. During the break for caution, Alex Bowman, who was complaining of being sick all race long, went into the garage area and got out of the car. Not having a ready replacement, Chad Knaus approached FOX pit reporter assistant and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series regular, Myatt Snider, to finish the race in the No. 48 Ally Chevy to salvage some points. Up to this point, Bowman was running well in the No. 48 ride. Snyder brought it home in 30th.
• As we leave Austin, Texas, the NASCAR Cup Series heads west to Phoenix for an IndyCar/NASCAR doubleheader. There, Tyler Reddick will attempt to do the impossible and win the first four races of the season.
• Ross Chastain won the Xfinity Fastest Lap.

Cation Tracker

• Lap 20: End of Stage 1
• Lap 45: End of Stage 2
• Lap 78: Ross Chastain Loses a Tire

Race Results

A start for the ages!@TylerReddick becomes the first driver in history to win the first three races of a season with this @NASCARatCOTA triumph! pic.twitter.com/Q64fBAHGWs

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 1, 2026

Points Standings (3 of 26)

Loud pedal down in the Lone Star State. pic.twitter.com/CCnMHzXZXF

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 1, 2026

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