The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season is officially under the “Reddick Era” as Tyler Reddick continued his blistering start to the year. On Saturday afternoon at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), Reddick piloted his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota to the top of the leaderboard during the Busch Light Pole qualifying session, clocking a chart-topping speed of 88.380 mph.
Chasing History in the Lone Star State
Reddick enters Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix with more than just a front-row start; he carries the weight of a potential NASCAR record. Having already secured victories in the first two races of the 2026 season, a win tomorrow would make him the first driver in the modern era to sweep the opening three races of a single season.
“The momentum we have right now is incredible,” Reddick said after his qualifying lap. “But COTA is a technical beast. Starting up front is half the battle, but keeping the No. 45 clean through 20 turns is where the race will be won.”
The Top Contenders
The session was a game of inches, with Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain nearly spoiling Reddick’s party. Chastain took the No. 1 Chevrolet to a speed of 88.256 mph, missing the pole by a razor-thin margin.
The “Kiwi” Threat from Mid-Pack
Perhaps the biggest storyline outside the front row is Shane van Gisbergen. Despite winning the last five consecutive road-course events in the Cup Series, the “Kiwi” will have his work cut out for him starting from the 13th position.
The stakes for SVG are massive: a victory on Sunday would tie him with Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon for the most consecutive road-course wins in Cup history (6). While starting mid-pack is a challenge, Van Gisbergen has proven time and again that his race craft in high-braking zones is second to none.
How to Watch
The green flag for Sunday’s showdown at COTA is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET. Fans can catch the action across several platforms:
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Television: FOX / HBO Max
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Radio: PRN Radio / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Cup Series at COTA Starting Lineup
Qualifying: February 28, 2026; Race: March 1, 2026
|
POSITION
|
BEST SPEED
|
BEST TIME
|
BEHIND
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
T. Reddick #45
|
88.380
|
1:37.760
|
Winner
|
|
2 |
R. Chastain #1
|
88.256
|
1:37.897
|
0.137
|
|
3 |
C. Briscoe #19
|
88.242
|
1:37.913
|
0.153
|
|
4 |
R. Blaney #12
|
88.179
|
1:37.982
|
0.222
|
|
5 |
C. Elliott #9
|
88.161
|
1:38.002
|
0.242
|
|
6 |
M. McDowell #71
|
88.031
|
1:38.147
|
0.387
|
|
7 |
A. Allmendinger #16
|
88.027
|
1:38.152
|
0.392
|
|
8 |
C. Bell #20
|
87.980
|
1:38.204
|
0.444
|
|
9 |
T. Gibbs #54
|
87.931
|
1:38.259
|
0.499
|
|
10 |
W. Byron #24
|
87.822
|
1:38.381
|
0.621
|
|
11 |
Z. Smith #38
|
87.798
|
1:38.408
|
0.648
|
|
12 |
C. Hocevar #77
|
87.749
|
1:38.463
|
0.703
|
|
13 |
S. Van Gisbergen #97
|
87.748
|
1:38.464
|
0.704
|
|
14 |
C. Buescher #17
|
87.718
|
1:38.497
|
0.737
|
|
15 |
K. Larson #5
|
87.703
|
1:38.514
|
0.754
|
|
16 |
A. Bowman #48
|
87.678
|
1:38.542
|
0.782
|
|
17 |
T. Gilliland #34
|
87.661
|
1:38.562
|
0.802
|
|
18 |
C. Custer #41
|
87.625
|
1:38.602
|
0.842
|
|
19 |
D. Hamlin #11
|
87.612
|
1:38.617
|
0.857
|
|
20 |
J. Logano #22
|
87.560
|
1:38.675
|
0.915
|
|
21 |
T. Dillon #10
|
87.474
|
1:38.772
|
1.012
|
|
22 |
J. Berry #21
|
87.443
|
1:38.807
|
1.047
|
|
23 |
D. Suárez #7
|
87.418
|
1:38.836
|
1.076
|
|
24 |
B. Wallace #23
|
87.416
|
1:38.838
|
1.078
|
|
25 |
C. Zilisch #88
|
87.365
|
1:38.895
|
1.135
|
|
26 |
B. Keselowski #6
|
87.346
|
1:38.917
|
1.157
|
|
27 |
J. Love #33
|
87.276
|
1:38.996
|
1.236
|
|
28 |
A. Cindric #2
|
87.265
|
1:39.009
|
1.249
|
|
29 |
R. Preece #60
|
87.201
|
1:39.082
|
1.322
|
|
30 |
K. Busch #8
|
87.132
|
1:39.160
|
1.400
|
|
31 |
J. Nemechek #42
|
87.032
|
1:39.274
|
1.514
|
|
32 |
R. Herbst #35
|
86.893
|
1:39.433
|
1.673
|
|
33 |
A. Dillon #3
|
86.610
|
1:39.757
|
1.997
|
|
34 |
R. Stenhouse Jr #47
|
86.590
|
1:39.781
|
2.021
|
|
35 |
N. Gragson #4
|
86.523
|
1:39.858
|
2.098
|
|
36 |
E. Jones #43
|
86.450
|
1:39.942
|
2.182
|
|
37 |
C. Ware #51
|
86.345
|
1:40.064
|
2.304
|
