Tyler Reddick wins at COTA to set NASCAR record with third straight victory
Tyler Reddick has become the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win the opening three races of a season after driving to victory at the Circuit of the Americas.
The 23XI Racing driver continued his flawless start to the campaign by holding off Shane van Gisbergen in Austin, Texas.
Driving a Toyota co-owned by basketball icon Michael Jordan, he added the road course triumph to earlier successes at the Daytona 500 and Atlanta.
Reddick converted his pole position into a win, crossing the line ahead of the field to secure his 11th career victory.
Holding off the road course specialist
It was far from a comfortable afternoon for the championship leader, who faced intense pressure from Trackhouse Racing’s Van Gisbergen.
The New Zealander, widely regarded as the series’ dominant force on road circuits, sat on Reddick’s bumper for much of the final stage.
However, the 23XI pilot managed to keep the challengers at bay over the final 20 laps.
Van Gisbergen, who won five of six road races in 2025, eventually faded in the closing six laps to lose his bid for a record-tying sixth consecutive victory on this track type.
It marks Reddick’s second win at the Formula 1-grade circuit, having previously lifted the trophy there in 2023.
NBA Hall of Famer Jordan was present on pit road to exchange high-fives with the crew as his car crossed the finish line.
Drama down the field
While Reddick made history at the front, Connor Zilisch endured a difficult weekend.
After qualifying in a lowly 25th position, Zilisch’s race was compromised when he spun on the restart for stage two.
Despite fighting back into contention, he was spun again during a caution restart with 16 laps remaining, eventually finishing 14th.
Elsewhere, a Hendrick Motorsports driver was forced to retire from the race with approximately 20 laps to go due to illness.
He was replaced mid-race by Myatt Snider, who had been working as a pit spotter for the Fox broadcast team and had to scramble into a race suit.
Brad Keselowski managed to complete the event in 20th place despite racing with a broken leg.
The RFK Racing owner-driver had reserve pilot Joey Hand on standby but managed to endure the physical strain of the technical road course.
The series returns to oval racing at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, 8 March.