Hey, Tyler! How ya been?
Hadn’t seen you in Victory Lane in a while. What was it — three, four weeks?
Yep, that’s all.
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Tyler Reddick continues to sprint through the NASCAR Cup Series in 2026. After another victory at Kansas Speedway on April 19, he’s now the first driver since Dale Earnhardt in 1987 to claim five of the first nine races of the season.
This one came in wild fashion, too.
With three laps to go, Reddick said on his radio he ran out of fuel. He then bumped the wall, allowing Denny Hamlin to regain the lead. Reddick flipped a switch and went to a fuel reservoir. He recovered and was making a charge at Hamlin when Cody Ware spun and brought out a caution with two laps left.
That meant overtime.
And after Kyle Larson slingshotted to a quick lead, Reddick tracked him down and captured the checkers.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Reddick said. “… These late-race restarts, it gets really crazy there. Obviously had a run on the 5. I was just shocked I was able to get to his inside.”
Here are three takeaways.
1. Tyler Reddick keeps thriving, Michael Jordan stays happy
Let’s go to a guy who famously knows a thing or two about victories.
“Yeah, when you win, it’s always fun,” said Michael Jordan, a six-time NBA champion and a co-owner of Reddick’s 23XI team. “Right now, it’s fun for everybody at 23XI.”
Reddick claimed the first three races of the year. Then, he triumphed at Darlington on March 22. And now Kansas.
He started from the pole Sunday and led 10 laps. Hamlin paced everybody with 131 in front.
“Got to deliver for boss man,” Reddick said of Jordan. “If he’s going to come hang out with us, we’ve got to get him dubs. That’s what it’s all about.”
Reddick now owns a 105-point cushion in the standings. Hamlin is second, and Ryan Blaney sits third.
“This kid is on fire,” Jordan said. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t know if I can cool him down. He’s unbelievable. That was an unbelievable last couple laps, and I’m proud of him.”
2. Kyle Larson comes oh so close to first win in 11 months
“We’re getting closer,” Larson said.
The winless streak continues for another week. The reigning Cup Series champ hasn’t found Victory Lane since last May — at Kansas.
But he’s still turning in productive outings. With his second-place finish, he’s up to fifth in the standings. Larson also grabbed third at Bristol last week.
He won Stage 2 and led 78 laps, which trailed only Hamlin. Larson also jumped to the top of the Kansas’ all-time laps led list.
He began overtime in third and manuevered to first before Reddick caught him.
“I went through (turns) three and four, and I was plowing,” Larson said. “Then, I could tell [Reddick] had a huge run on me behind, and I thought maybe if I could get to the banking it would load and cut, but it didn’t. He was really good there.”
3. Next up, we buckle up as Talladega sits ahead
After six straight races on “normal” oval tracks, ranging from a half-mile to 1.5 miles, NASCAR’s Cup Series goes pack-racin’ at the biggest, baddest pack-racin’ track of them all: Talladega Superspeedway.
The 2.66-mile trioval always threatens to break hearts while also giving hope to those who normally find themselves from mid-pack to the back, and often off the lead lap.
Last spring, Austin Cindric won his third career Cup race at Talladega, as nearly every driver in the 39-car field led laps at one time or another. Last fall, Chase Briscoe got the win while the top 10 finishers included Todd Gilliland, Cole Custer and Zane Smith. Anything can happen.
Also at Talladega, the ARCA and O’Reilly Series race Saturday afternoon, a day ahead of the Cup Series’ Jack Link’s 500.
— Ken Willis contributed to this story
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR takeaways: Michael Jordan is having fun. Tyler Reddick is why
Reporting by Chris Vinel, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
