Indeed, it is hard to ignore the high Tyler Reddick is riding. After a historic start to 2026, in which he became the first driver in NASCAR history to win each of the year’s first three races, there is more good news for the American. He has signed a contract extension to remain with 23XI Racing as the driver of its No. 45 Toyota. However, this reward for his recent dominance has only fueled accusations of foul play from skeptical fans.

“Yeah, no, we got the deal done. I am going to be continuing my future here at 23XI, excited to have that all done and be able to continue building on what we have done so far. I’m just glad that 23XI and I were able to get to a good place and get the deal done. So hopefully I will be here for a long time,” Reddick said.

For the 30-year-old, it is sweet revenge. After all, Richard Childress Racing dropped him after the 2022 Cup season.

In his stead, they brought in Kyle Busch, who was unable to replicate the same success that he had. Moreover, the team itself fell into a prolonged slump, and now Busch is staring at a 100-plus race winless streak. Meanwhile, at 23XI Racing, Reddick is becoming the driving force behind Michael Jordan’s team. He is leading the way for his teammates, and his results speak for themselves. The California native has won five of the first nine races this season, including last week at Kansas.

He has brought 10 victories to his team, including two playoff qualifying runs in 2023 and 2024. While his best finish with 23XI Racing is fourth in the drivers’ championship as of 2026, that could soon change the narrative. As he admits, Reddick and his team seem to have found the perfect balance for the car. No wonder he can drive it so well, despite a noticeable dip in performance last season, when he ended up going winless.

“I just think. We have done a really good job of staying in the mix. We have had little things pop up for us this year. This time around, we have done a good job of keeping the balance closed. Just being there, being close to being able to close the deal. I’ve been able to do it a couple of times at Kansas over the years; just a good strong team and good strong mindset believing in each other really allow us to just elevate to the next level,” he added.

Although Reddick and his team are enjoying the multiyear extension of their partnership, there seems to be a peculiar trend among NASCAR fans that raises questions about foul play.

NASCAR fans douse Tyler Reddick and 23XI in cheating allegations

The very first allegation directly points the finger at the lawsuit settlement between NASCAR and 23XI Racing.

“When you’re in a cheated-up car, and Nascrap allows it, why would you leave?” wrote one fan.

Another fan seems to be agreeing with such comments as they relay their sentiments: “Does he know the extra 25 hp that was part of the NDA will run out after this season?”

And that sentiment is widespread. As Ken Willis wrote in late March, “The true believers will have you thinking the courtroom settlement language included this: In lieu of additional monetary considerations, plaintiffs will accept an additional 50 horsepower until further notice.”

Such a pattern becomes even more striking for fans, given the struggles Front Row Motorsports is dealing with and its inability to perform this season.

On a similar note, a frustrated fan replied, “Great, more cheating.”

Reddick’s dominance this season has raised several eyebrows. Just look at his Darlington Raceway race, where he qualified 29th out of 37 drivers on Saturday. No one before him could reach an average of 168 mph, with the fastest times in the 167 mph range. Reddick, however, surpassed 169 mph, and, on top of that, even scraped the Darlington wall along the way.

He still came out on top despite power issues. But it wasn’t without a variety of struggles: a clunky tire cost him six positions, he even collided with Chris Buescher in the late stages, and yet he managed to get past Brad Keselowski with 28 laps remaining.

One fan also seems to believe that these victories are a fluke and Reddick’s success is only a result of his car’s better performance: “Guess when you’re given cars with 100 more hp than the field, who would leave that? ”

Although Reddick has shown he has performed well across different teams over a long NASCAR career, it makes far less sense to attribute his success solely to his cars. Moreover, no NASCAR or motorsport driver would want to leave a successful team without a championship title. A group of other fans is also raising questions against the ‘underdog’ status of 23XI Racing.

“Literally the richest owner in the sport, but sure, I guess we can call them a small team,” voiced another fan.

There is a certain fallacy surrounding this claim. Sure, Jordan and Hamlin are rich in their respective sports, but NASCAR teams run on exorbitant amounts of money. Hence, it isn’t a simple task to just throw money at the sport and buy your way in with insane performance. 23XI Racing has been growing steadily with resources and development to aid its progress. It is still a small team compared to the Big 3 of the sport.

The sentiments against Reddick and Toyota are quite strong. But unless and until NASCAR or any other team proves their cheating, it is quick to jump to conclusions.