The Autotrader 400 at Atlanta on Sunday was as much about Bubba Wallace as it was about race-winner Tyler Reddick. The 23XI Racing duo has overshadowed all the big teams as they fill the top two spots in the standings. But Wallace isn’t happy, and it’s understandable, considering he was close to the win before Reddick took the lead. When asked about his teammate by the interviewers, Reddick had a no-nonsense answer about his championship and performance.

Tyler Reddick voices teammate’s hidden frustration

“Well, I know Bubba’s not going to be thrilled it’s a 40-point gap… And you know, again, I hate it for him. He had a cleaner race than I did tonight… It’s a bummer for him because I think he had, all in all, a better, smoother, cleaner day.

“But yeah, for us to be one, two is a great way to start it. For him, the road course stuff has been getting better. It’s been fun working on that with him.”

While appreciating his teammate’s race, Reddick recognizes his own shortcomings. He also stays real about the possibility of their team losing the edge that they currently have.

“For us at 23XI, we take great pride in running well everywhere that we go. We work hard to set ourselves up for success everywhere, and of course, at the speedways. How can we work together? How can we kind of keep ourselves towards the front?

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“So we’re going to do what we can to kind of stay there. You know, there are going to be some races that maybe we don’t have the speed that we want, but as long as we continue to fight really hard all race long, we’re going to take advantage of this great start that we’ve had.”

Even though he feels bad for his teammate, Reddick is not going to throw away his own championship. He knows that camaraderie in motorsports comes after personal success and not before it. Reddick follows the same philosophy as he approaches his own season.

He also clarifies that, for him, winning is one of the most important goals. But if it is about surviving during the race and bringing in a good points haul, he won’t just throw it all away only to end up crashing himself out.

“If at any point during this week I’m running out of reasons to be motivated to go win, um, I’ll keep that in my back pocket for sure. It’s cool to be able to have the opportunity to potentially do things like that.

“But for me, with where this season started and what I need to do as a driver, it’s all about just doing everything I can and showing up every week—being as prepared as I can. I’ll try and make that a reality.”

But enough about the present statistics. Let’s try to find the answer to an important question that lies ahead.

Do 23XI and Reddick have what it takes to win?

If you had asked this question back in 2025, the answer would have been yes. There is a certain amount of mystery and uncertainty involved in the playoff system. 23XI Racing is not a bad team, but they are not the top team either.

They have already shown up at the Championship 4 race previously and brought forward multiple playoff appearances. Reddick’s last season was not exactly spotlight-worthy, but he was not out of form either. However, there is a big difference between last year and this year.

The newest championship format prioritizes long-term performance over short-term heroics. Owing to his back-to-back victories, Reddick does have a considerable lead in the championship. However, 23XI Racing will have to stay at the top of its game every week to defend it.

Not only that, but two wins are just not enough for a 26-race regular season that decides the seed for the Chase. After they tackle the regular season. The team will also need to make sure that the final 10 races are done perfectly. All that while handling multiple driver programs this year.

Reddick is not the only driver on the team. Bubba Wallace is also in a good spot, even though he is 40 points behind Reddick. The team can’t prioritize one driver so early in the season. So, before 23XI starts celebrating, they should know that the cold, harsh reality of the 2026 format does not really favor mid-pack teams.

Of course, if for the next 10 or 15 races, Reddick can keep his lead and 23XI can bring him timely upgrades, he will already be ready to compete for the championship. But this is only the second race; the entire picture will take a lot of time and patience to unfold.