Tyler Reddick starts bid for 3rd straight NASCAR Cup win with pole run

Reddick claims third Busch Light Pole Award in six attempts at Circuit of the Americas

Mar. 3, 2026 at 3:39am

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Tyler Reddick claimed the pole position for Sunday's DuraMAX Grand Prix Powered by Reladyne at Circuit of the Americas, negotiating the 2.4-mile road course in 97.760 seconds (88.380 mph) in the second qualifying group. Reddick is seeking to become the first driver to win the first three races of a NASCAR Cup Series season.

Why it matters

Reddick's pole position puts him in prime position to continue his hot start to the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. If he can win on Sunday, he would become the first driver to win the first three races of a season since the modern era of the sport began.

The details

Reddick's lap time was the fastest of the second qualifying group, edging out Ross Chastain, who will start on the front row beside Reddick. The surprise of qualifying was that Chastain's Trackhouse Racing teammates, Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch, both failed to crack the top 10, with van Gisbergen qualifying 13th and Zilisch 25th.

  • Reddick claimed his third Busch Light Pole Award in six attempts at Circuit of the Americas.
  • Reddick won last Sunday's race at EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta, becoming the sixth Cup competitor to start a season with two consecutive wins.

The players

Tyler Reddick

The driver of the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing, who is seeking to become the first driver to win the first three races of a NASCAR Cup Series season since the modern era of the sport began.

Ross Chastain

The driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing, who will start on the front row alongside Reddick. Chastain won the 2022 race at Circuit of the Americas.

Shane van Gisbergen

A vaunted road course racer who drives for Trackhouse Racing. Van Gisbergen qualified 13th and is seeking his sixth straight road course victory in the Cup Series, which would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon for most consecutive road course wins.

Connor Zilisch

A young road course specialist who drives for Trackhouse Racing. Zilisch qualified 25th, failing to crack the top 10.

Chase Elliott

The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, who leads active drivers with seven road course victories in the Cup Series.

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What they’re saying

“It helps the chances, certainly. I think starting up front is huge.”

— Tyler Reddick

“We'll see how it gets going. Certainly, Ross, Shane, Ryan Blaney-there's a number of good drivers who were really strong in practice today. We'll try to understand what that all looks like and make our best decisions on the car and everything.”

— Tyler Reddick

What’s next

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The takeaway

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