Reddick makes NASCAR history at COTA with third straight win

Tyler Reddick put a new page in the NASCAR history book Sunday at Circuit of The Americas with his third consecutive Cup Series victory to start the season.

Reddick is the first driver to accomplish the feat. The 23XI Racing driver started from pole and led a race-high 58 of 95 laps. In the final stage, he held off the best road course racer in the business, Shane van Gisbergen.

“It means the world,” Reddick said. “It’s so fitting, we get going at the end there and I’m leading and there’s SVG [van Gisbergen], the guy I’ve been trying to beat for a while now. To be able to outlast him there and hold on for the win, it’s incredible. I’m just really proud of this Chumba Casino Toyota Camry, everyone at 23XI. We worked really hard. We did not like getting beat like that at road courses, and it’s one race, but it was so important. It’s so fitting we’re able to get three in a row and make history.”

Reddick and the No. 45 team started the season with a last-lap winning pass in the Daytona 500 before dominating at EchoPark Speedway a week later. COTA is the first track that Reddick has won twice at in his Cup Series career, as it was the site of his first victory with 23XI Racing in 2023.

The team went winless last season.

Van Gisbergen was nearly four seconds behind Reddick at the checkered flag. After the race restarted with 17 laps to go, van Gisbergen did his best to keep pace with Reddick before the car eventually faded. The Trackhouse Racing driver was looking to tie Jeff Gordon’s record of six consecutive road course victories.

“It’s weird to be disappointed with second, but this series is at a high level,” van Gisbergen said. “I felt OK. We got our Safety Culture Chevy a lot better than yesterday, but just following Tyler, his driving was immaculate, and his car was very good, too. I tried but didn’t quite have enough. But still a great points day for the [No.] 97.”

Christopher Bell, who finished third, was nearly five seconds behind Reddick at the finish. Ty Gibbs finished fourth, while Michael McDowell completed the top five. Gibbs won the second stage.

Kyle Larson finished sixth, Chase Elliott finished seventh, Ryan Blaney finished eighth, AJ Allmendinger finished ninth, and Denny Hamlin finished 10th. Blaney also had one of the fastest cars in the field to Reddick and led 11 laps. Allmendinger, meanwhile, had a cool suit failure and needed assistance after the race; he was brought to the infield care center.

Connor Zilisch finished 14th after twice being spun in Turn 1. He was running inside the top 10 during both incidents.

The injured Brad Keselowski finished 20th. Ross Chastain, who won the first stage, finished 35th. Chastain had a wheel come off in the final stage and was penalized two laps. He will also have crew members who are suspended for the next two weeks because of the incident.

The wheel coming off Chastain’s car was the only natural caution in Sunday’s race. The other cautions were for the stage breaks.

Reddick was one of nine leaders in the event. There were 14 lead changes. 

“It’s time for change; it’s time for change, and the guys feel the same thing,” 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan told FOX Sports about Reddick setting a new record. “Tyler came here with the most pressure, I guess, everybody expected him, or he had the chance to win three in a row. That’s the hardest one to win, you know? He kept to his strategy, and man, the guys put together a great car. 

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

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