As NASCAR heads back to Circuit of the Americas for the third race of the season, drivers are gearing up for their first road course of 2026. Unlike the usual oval and superspeedway tracks, COTA brings a completely different challenge. Tyler Reddick is on the brink of making NASCAR history at the track, but after winning the pole, he admitted there’s one thing that could still get in his way.

Tyler Reddick pumped up ahead of Sunday’s race

After qualifying concluded, Reddick spoke with the media about his performance heading into Sunday’s race. In comments shared on X by NASCAR journalist Claire B. Lang, the 23XI Racing driver explained how he secured the pole for the second straight year and why it matters.

“It helps the chances, certainly,” Reddick said. “I think starting up front is huge. We did the same thing last year, and Shane and Kyle were able to get around us early. So we need to maintain that and hang on to it this time around. It certainly helps. Obviously, I think pit road, under green, everything’s pretty even.”

Building on that point, Reddick emphasized that track position at COTA can set the tone, but it does not guarantee the outcome. The long laps and technical sections mean small mistakes can quickly open the door for competitors. While clean air provides an early advantage, the real challenge is sustaining pace once the field settles into rhythm and strategy begins to unfold.

During the interview, Reddick also pointed to potential threats, including Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, and road course standout Shane van Gisbergen. He added that the team would spend the evening dialing in the car setup before Sunday’s race, knowing that even minor adjustments could make a major difference over a full run.

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Reddick knows that starting up front at COTA is only part of the equation. Last year, even with a solid track position early on, he saw Shane van Gisbergen and Kyle Larson drive right by him. Clean air definitely matters, but holding your ground through those opening laps and managing the green-flag pit cycles is what really decides races on a tough road course like this.

“But certainly, if things get off sequence and pit road gets busy, having that first choice is nice to have in the race. So yeah, we’ll just see how it gets going. Certainly, Ross, Shane, and Ryan Blaney were among the drivers who were really strong in practice today. We’ll try to understand what all that looks like and make our best decisions on the car and everything overnight, going into tomorrow’s race,” Reddick added.

Reddick claimed the pole after posting a lap of 1:37.76, putting himself ahead of Ross Chastain and Chase Briscoe for the DuraMAX Grand Prix NASCAR Cup Series race.

Given how COTA differs from traditional oval tracks, Reddick will have an early advantage in controlling the race. Passing opportunities are limited, and three-wide or four-wide racing is far less common, which reduces the immediate threat to the leader.

In addition, the No. 45 driver will need to protect his car, avoid contact in heavy-braking zones, attack the apexes cleanly, and execute late-braking moves when necessary, much like a road-racing approach seen in Formula 1. In short, starting from the pole gives Tyler Reddick a valuable edge at COTA.

Adding to the momentum, Reddick enters Sunday’s race after back-to-back wins in the season’s first two events at Daytona and Atlanta. With another victory, he would achieve a feat no NASCAR driver has managed so far this season.

Tyler Reddick awaits a NASCAR record as he starts from the pole at COTA

Since NASCAR’s inception, several drivers have recorded three or even four consecutive wins in a season. However, only six drivers have opened a season with back-to-back victories, and Tyler Reddick is the latest to join that list.

None of them, however, went on to win the third race of the season. As Reddick eyes that opportunity, he will lean on 23XI Racing’s strong track record at COTA, something he addressed in a recent media session.

“We’ve been strong when you look at the field on road courses, but I really like coming here and to these other road courses and contending for wins,” Reddick said. “Last time we were here, we were pretty close, but from pretty much this point on for the rest of last year, it was out of sight for us.”

Marvin Panch first accomplished the season-opening back-to-back wins in 1957, followed by Bob Welborn in 1959. David Pearson did it in 1976, Jeff Gordon repeated the feat in 1997, and Matt Kenseth later joined the group before Reddick added his name this year.

Now, the question is whether the 23XI Racing driver can break the pattern and make history with a third straight victory on Sunday.