Tyler Reddick Wins At COTA, Makes NASCAR Cup Series History With Third Straight 2026 Victory

Austin (Texas), March 2: Tyler Reddick has become the first driver in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series to win the first three races of the season with a victory at the Circuit of the Americas. Driving a Toyota co-owned by Michael Jordan, Reddick opened the season in style by winning the Daytona 500 and followed it up with another victory at Atlanta a week later.

On Sunday, he claimed the first road course race of the year from pole position, fending off a relentless charge from Trackhouse Racing's Shane van Gisbergen over the final 20 laps. Jordan, the American Basketball legend, was present at Reddick's moment of glory as he exchanged high-fives with the pit crew of 23XI.

Van Gisbergen, the most dominant road course racer who won five out of six such races in 2025, fell short in his attempt to secure a record-tying sixth consecutive road course victory. The only road event he failed to win last season came in Austin.

Reddick's Superb Form

The American motorsports racing driver was in supreme form throughout the weekend. The win marked the 11th win of his career and his second at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA), a F1 designed circuit. It was also the first time he had recorded multiple victories at the same track, having previously won there in 2023.

However, the race was far from a cake walk with van Gisbergen glued to his rear bumper for much of the final stages of the race. As a result, Reddick had to stay composed under pressure before finally pulling clear in the closing laps.

Tough Day For Rookie Connor Zilisch In NASCAR

Trackhouse Cup Series rookie Connor Zilisch arrived with hopes of ending Shane van Gisbergen's dominance on road courses. However, his weekend started on the back foot with a disappointing 25th-place qualifying effort. Matters worsened on Sunday when he was spun on the restart at the beginning of stage two.

Although Zilisch battled back into contention in the final stage, his challenge unravelled with 16 laps remaining when he was spun again following a caution restart. He eventually came home in 14th place.

Bowman Bailed Out For Illness

Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman was forced to step out of his car with around 20 laps to go after reporting that he felt unwell. Myatt Snider, who had been serving as a pit spotter for the Fox broadcast, was called in as his replacement. Snider hurriedly changed into his race suit before taking over driving duties for the remainder of the race.

Keselowski Battles Through Injury to Finish

Brad Keselowski had reserve driver Joey Hand on standby in case discomfort from his recently broken leg proved too much. In the end, he did not require a substitute and managed to complete the race in 20th place.

The RFK Racing driver has competed in all three events this season despite breaking his right leg in December. The demanding road course in Austin had been a particular concern due to the physical strain caused by constant left and right turns, but Keselowski was able to see the race through.

With inputs from AP