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Tyler Reddick continued his NASCAR Cup Series dominance by earning the pole for Sunday’s race at COTA
There’s no driver in the NASCAR Cup Series field with more momentum than Tyler Reddick. The driver of the No. 45 kicked off the 2026 campaign with a victory in the Daytona 500, then followed up with a win in Atlanta.
On Saturday, the 23XI Racing driver continued his hot streak as he qualified on the pole for Sunday’s The DuraMax Texas Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne at Circuit of The Americas.
It was the California native’s third pole at COTA and his 12th career pole overall. On Sunday, Reddick will seek his second win at COTA, with his maiden victory coming in 2023.
Tyler Reddick on NASCAR COTA pole: ‘Called my shot’
Reddick posted a best time of 97.760 around the 2.3-mile road course to secure the pole in Saturday’s Cup qualifying. Qualifying on the outside pole was Ross Chastain in the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet.
Chase Briscoe qualified third in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, followed by Ryan Blaney in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford, and Chase Elliott rounding out the top five in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
After grabbing the pole, Reddick expressed how he called his shot and the thrill he gets from the speed at COTA.
“I maybe shouldn’t have called my shot earlier. Some pressure comes with that. I love going fast and road courses are a lot of fun in qualifying. Just proud of everyone’s effort here at 23XI. Our Chumba Casino Toyota Camry was fast in Daytona, and it seems fast here to start this one off,” Reddick said.
Michael McDowell will start sixth on Sunday in the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. A.J. Allmendinger qualified seventh in the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, followed by Christopher Bell in eighth in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
Rounding out the top 10 is Ty Gibbs in the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in ninth and William Byron in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in 10th.
Road course ace SVG starts from 13th on Sunday
Shane van Gisbergen enters Sunday’s race at COTA on a five-race win streak on road courses. It’s tied for the longest streak in the NASCAR Cup Series alongside Jeff Gordon.
However, SVG will have some traffic to get through if he wants to record a historic sixth straight road course win. The driver of the No. 97 will roll off 13th in the 95-lap race in Austin, Texas.
Reddick knows what SVG is capable of on the right and left turns. Although he might not be starting inside the top 10, Reddick believes SVG will be a threat to win before the checkered flag flies.
“I don’t know where Shane’s starting, but I just got to try to get as much of a head start on him as I can and try and stay ahead of him all day,” Reddick said.
The DuraMax Texas Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne is set to get underway on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. The race can be watched on FOX or listened to on the Performance Racing Network.
Christopher Bell enters as the defending winner at COTA. It is the sixth time the Cup Series circuit has raced at the Texas road course.
John Breeden John Breeden is a NASCAR contributor at Heavy Sports. He has five years of sports journalism experience. He graduated from James Madison University in May of 2022 with a degree in media arts and design. John is also a sports reporter for the Daily News-Record in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Previously, John was a sports writer for JMU’s The Breeze and a NASCAR content writer for Sportskeeda. More about John Breeden
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