Tyler Reddick: NASCAR Cup Chase 2026 Preview

Tyler Reddick may have been the winningest driver of the regular season, but he will head into the revamped 2026 chase as the third seed.

This will be the sixth consecutive and total NASCAR Cup Series postseason appearance.

After winning the regular season championship in 2025 Reddick will enter the 2026 Chase two positions lower. He will be 35 points behind first-seeded Denny Hamlin as the third seed overall.

The summer slide out of the first seed seemed nearly impossible before June. Now, Reddick has a chance to build himself back up again starting this weekend at Darlington.

Here is how he got to this point.

Career High to Summer Slide

After a winless 2025 season, Tyler Reddick and 23XI Racing had some soul-searching to do. Turns out a preseason pep-talk from Co-Owner Michael Jordan is all they needed to inspire greatness.

Reddick and his No. 45 team stormed to nearly the best start to a season anyone could have. He took the first opportunity to return to victory lane in the biggest event of them all, the Daytona 500.

He joined the hallowed Harley J. Earl Trophy, where every Daytona 500 winner’s name is displayed, and left Florida with a chip on his shoulder. A chip that would remain for the better-half of the regular season.

From there, he won the next race at Atlanta and the following event at COTA for three straight. No driver in modern NASCAR Cup Series history had achieved the feat before.

His career hot-streak continued with another win two weeks later at Darlington. He then followed that up a further three events later with his fifth win of the regular season at Kansas.

17 races into the season and Reddick looked unstoppable. He averaged a starting position of 4.82, a season-best four poles, and an average finish of 5.71.

Combine that with his 97-point gap to Denny Hamlin nearly wrote the regular season off. Then his summer slide commenced at the start of June from Michigan onwards.

Ten races was all it took to drain the 97 points and then some. Reddick finished out the regular season with a down-to-earth 15.4 average starting position and an abysmal 24.0 average finish.

Hamlin passed him in the point standings after Sonoma and even stretched his gap over him to 133 points for a whopping 230 point turnaround which stunned all of 23XI Racing.

Even still, with how chilly Reddick’s summer was, not all hope is lost. The now veteran driver returned to Daytona for another top five finish in third and looks to start the Chase with renewed momentum.

2026 Chase Outlook

A mini reset and another chat with Michael Jordan could be what the doctor ordered for Reddick and his team.

Even without the regular season title, the third seed has great impact on their positive championship hopes.

The Californian has all the tools he needs to still make a spirited run to his first NASCAR Cup Series championship. He has made it to the final race with a chance before and if the team retains what made them special at the start of the season they can achieve even more greatness.

To start the Chase, the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway provides a great launchpad. Reddick returns as the defending winner of the 400-mile race this past spring and can set his championship sights with a South Carolina sweep this season.

Good runs at his two other victorious venues of his could prove vital to his championship aspirations. Talladega and the season finale at Homestead has the chance to become do or die events for the team down the final stretch.

Ceiling: Champion Floor: Sixth

Reddick’s Season Overivew

2026 Stats

• 5 wins (series-best)
  • Daytona 500, EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta), COTA, Darlington, Kansas
• 4 poles (series-best)
  • COTA, Darlington, Kansas, New Hampshire
• One stage win
• 11 top-five finishes, 16 top-ten finishes, 2 DNF’s
• 9.1 avg start, 12.2 avg finish
  • Avg. Running Position of 13.227 (sixth-best)
• 449 laps led (sixth-best)
  • led season-high 119 laps during his fourth place finish at the Coca-Cola 600
• Driver Rating of 95.7 (third-best)

Strengths

• Starting position
• Right place right time
• Winner on nearly every track type

Weaknesses

• Too hot and cold
• Momentum into the chase
• Peaked too early?