Tyler Reddick’s historic start to the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season has captured the attention of the entire garage. Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes it could shape the championship picture much earlier than usual.
On the latest episode of The Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt Jr. reacted to Reddick’s third straight victory to open the year, calling the accomplishment remarkable while also highlighting the massive points cushion the 23XI Racing driver has already built.
“Tyler Reddick has started the season, three wins in a row. No one’s ever done that,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “He was pretty good at COTA. He’s ran really good there in the past, so it wasn’t like a big shock, but he did beat the guy that’s won all the road course races here lately.”
Reddick’s win at Circuit of The Americas extended his streak after victories at Daytona and Atlanta, making him the first driver in NASCAR history to open a season with three consecutive wins. Beyond the wins, Earnhardt Jr. pointed out that the points gap might be just as impressive.
“Barring any kind of massive collapse, he’s got like what, a 70-point lead?” he said. “I will say that my man Tyler Reddick has a lock on being in the top three.”
Under NASCAR’s current format, finishing in the top three of the regular-season standings is critical because of the playoff bonus points awarded heading into the postseason. Right now, Reddick isn’t just leading. He’s separating himself from the field.
“He’s 86 points above Ryan Blaney, who’s in fourth,” Earnhardt Jr. explained. “Barring a collapse, that should do it. Who’s to say he won’t win another race or two, right? To sort of help himself sustain that gap?”
Moreover, Earnhardt Jr. also noted that many of the drivers typically expected to challenge for the regular-season crown are already far behind: “The heavy hitters? They ain’t there,” he said. “The people that he’s actually probably going to be competing with as we surge through the season and get on 20-some races in, he’s way ahead of those guys.”
The numbers only reinforce that point. Reddick currently holds nearly a 100-point cushion over several contenders further down the standings, including road-course ace Shane van Gisbergen: “It’s not going the other way,” Earnhardt Jr. added. “He’s got almost 100 points on Shane van Gisbergen in fifth.”
While the NASCAR championship ultimately comes down to the playoff stretch, Earnhardt Jr. believes Reddick’s early dominance is exactly why 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin targeted him as the centerpiece of the organization.
“Tyler Reddick has — I don’t know that he’s shocked the world,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We all knew that this is why Denny hired him. Denny thought, ‘Hey man, I’m bringing this guy in. This guy is going to turn my organization into a winning organization.’”
Three races in, it’s hard to argue with that vision. The sky is the limit for Reddick in 2026, if that wasn’t obvious already.