What was supposed to be a simple Cup race at COTA made fans grab their rulebooks. As the heat played its part and Alex Bowman couldn’t, Myatt Snider came to his rescue by taking his seat on Lap 73 to finish the race. But who is he? How was he allowed to drive a Cup car? Let’s untangle the confusion.

How could Myatt Snider race?

During the DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix at Austin, Snider replaced an ill Bowman to complete the race for the #48 entry. However, the former came under strong scrutiny by fans regarding his background. Fans were of the opinion that Snider was a “spot” racer in 2025 and did not have any Cup Series races under his belt. This, going by his race records, is somewhat true. However, not entirely.

Myatt Snider has a NASCAR license and has driven in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series 112 times and in the Craftsman Truck Series 36 times in the last six years — with a win, a pole, and 37 Top 10s to his name. Besides this, he is also a tested ARCA racer. As a result, NASCAR allowed him to race in the Cup Series.

Going by his statistics, Gurney Myatt Snider, the son of NASCAR on Prime Video pit reporter Marty Snider, is a part-time Xfinity Series driver. He drives the #91 Chevrolet Camaro SS for DGM Racing with Jesse Iwuji Motorsports, the same car that Carson Kvapil drove at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race on Saturday.

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In fact, before he entered Bowman’s car, Snider was actually doing his pit spotter job, assisting Jamie Little in her coverage. As he was gearing up to sit in the car, Little said, “I’ve been listening to Alex Bowman, he’s been saying he is sick all race long … Chad Knaus came up to him and me and said, ‘is it okay if Myatt gets in this race car?’ And I said ‘absolutely.’ So here we are … Myatt … he’s going to get in Alex Bowman’s car and try to salvage some points. Strange turn of events.”

Jeff Andrews of Hendrick Motorsports also said, “It was an unexpected situation. Alex wasn’t feeling well enough to continue, so we made the call to get him out of the car. It came on suddenly. He was seen in the care center and received fluids, but we don’t have anything further to share at this time. We’re grateful to Myatt for stepping in on such short notice.”

In the end, Snider came home in 36th place, but the result was given to Alex Bowman since the Hendrick Motorsports driver started the race. While Hendrick Motorsports did not have a great day at COTA, it was the exact opposite for 23XI Racing.

23XI Racing star created a record while Hendrick Motorsports failed

On Sunday, Tyler Reddick created history by winning the DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. He kept the road course expert, Shane van Gisbergen, at bay and claimed his third win of the season.

With this, the #45 driver won three back-to-back races in the first three races, creating a record no other NASCAR driver has been able to do since its inception. Reddick’s series of wins came after his winless season last year, following which he recalled how a tough season changed into a joyous one in the new year.

“Big time moments have happened for me in 2026,” Reddick said. “I’ve never won back-to-back in my career. I don’t know how many times I’ve won 3 in a row in my lifetime. To turn the corner and make 2026 a good year … just yeah, to get my second win here … to have to hold off Shane, we’ll keep going as long as we can.”

Reddick and 23XI ruled the first three races, but it was the opposite for Hendrick Motorsports and Kyle Larson, the defending Cup Series champion, as none of the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers could win a race in three outings.

At COTA, no HMS driver could finish in the top five. While 23XI Racing stars Reddick and Bubba Wallace occupy the first two positions in the Cup Series championship with 186 and 116 points, respectively, Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports is in third place with 114 points.