Tyler Reddick reflects on his impressive third consecutive win, highlighting the intense battle at COTA, especially against tough competitors like Ryan Blaney and Shane. He discusses strategic adjustments, particularly his defensive driving in key corners, and what makes COTA a strong track for him. Tyler also shares insights on balancing celebration with engine care during burnouts and credits Sydney Friesen for the creative idea behind their iconic three-peat photo. The conversation captures the mix of competition, strategy, and team spirit fueling his historic streak.
Fresh off his victory at Circuit of the Americas, Tyler Reddick joins Kevin Harvick on this week’s Victory Lap to break down his historic third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series win to open the 2026 season. Reddick discusses how he and 23XI Racing have built early-season momentum, what has clicked across the organization, and how the team has elevated its performance to championship level. He details his intense battle with road course standout Shane van Gisbergen at COTA, the strategy and execution that helped him secure the win, and what it means to become the first Cup driver to win the first three races of a season. Reddick also reflects on his viral 3-peat photo tribute to team owner Michael Jordan, the confidence inside the garage, and how this dominant start shapes expectations for the rest of the year.
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""...it was great for lap time, but it ended up being really great defensively too. You know, they could kind of roll to my back bumper...""
Defensive driving means driving in a way that stops other racers from passing you by blocking or slowing them down.
Defensive driving in racing refers to techniques used by a driver to prevent opponents from overtaking, often by positioning the car strategically on the track.
"it was more about just going really hard every lap. Um, and as, as we've taken downforce off the car, as the tires gotten softer,"
Downforce is like a force that pushes the car down to the road so it sticks better when turning fast. It helps the car go around corners without sliding.
Downforce is the aerodynamic force that pushes a car down onto the track, increasing tire grip and improving cornering speeds. It is generated by wings, spoilers, and body shapes designed to manipulate airflow.
"and as the tires gotten softer, um, as we've added horsepower, you know, what it takes, I think"
Soft tires are special tires that help the car stick to the road better, but they wear out quicker and need to be changed more often.
Soft tires refer to racing tires made from a softer rubber compound that provides better grip but wears out faster. They improve lap times by increasing traction but require more frequent replacement.
"and as the tires gotten softer, um, as we've added horsepower, you know, what it takes, I think"
Horsepower is how strong the car's engine is. The more horsepower, the faster the car can go and the quicker it can speed up.
Horsepower is a unit of measurement for engine power, indicating how much work an engine can perform over time. More horsepower generally means a car can accelerate faster and reach higher speeds.
"what it did in the car to win in 2023 and then in 2026 were very different. So I wish I could say what it is, but, um, I think it's just, we've, we've done a really good job of bringing what, what needs to be had in a race car, um, two times now when we've been able to get the job done."
Race car setup evolution means changing parts of the race car over time to make it faster and better for different races.
Race car setup evolution refers to how teams change the car's configuration, including aerodynamics, tires, and power, over time to improve performance as conditions and regulations change.
""when, when you're winning a lot like this multiple weeks in a row, do you think about the burnout and what you can do from the week before...""
A burnout is when a car spins its tires while staying still to make the tires hot and sticky for better grip when racing.
A burnout is a driving maneuver where the driver spins the wheels of a stationary car to heat up the tires, improving traction for the start of a race.
""with this format, DNFs are going to be a killer. And so, um, I was reminded...""
DNF means a racer didn't finish the race because something went wrong, like the car breaking down or crashing.
DNF stands for 'Did Not Finish,' a term used in racing to indicate a competitor who fails to complete the race, often due to mechanical failure or accidents.
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I'm like, oh boy, great.
I just had this feeling, you know,
that I was gonna have to go toe-to-toe with him
to win this race.
You know, he finds a way in the second
and now we got 17 or so laps to go
and I've gotta keep him behind me.
You know, I'm through.
Well, Tyler, welcome back to the show again.
And now three wins in a row.
I mean, at this point, it has to just feel like you guys just can't be stopped.
And on a weekend like that, going to a road course, no chance involved.
You just straight up whooped them.
It kind of looked that way, huh?
It was, it was a tough fight all day, honestly.
You know, I didn't, I had to make some adjustments in the beginning of the race.
You know, certainly I just wasn't, wasn't getting going very good in the start of the race,
the way that I should have.
And thankfully, you know, we kind of got going back in the right direction
when it was time to flip for the end of stage one.
And yeah, we, we lined up, you know, on the front road next to Blaney there
and just the way that start kind of went, you know, Byron was able to give me a really big shove.
And yeah, from that point on, I knew, I mean, I saw how fast the 12 car was in stage one.
So I was like, man, I've just got to find a way to keep them stuff behind me here
for as long as I can.
And yeah, we're able to do that in stage two and stage three.
And yeah, when we got to that final caution there in stage three, I saw Shane and Connor,
they were, they were back there, you know, they're like, they're right there.
Like, hey, man, we see you up there.
And yeah, when we got through that first corner, and of course, Shane clears,
Ryan, I'm like, Oh boy, great.
The one guy, you know what I mean?
I just had this feeling, you know, that I was going to have to go toe to toe with him
to win this race, even though he was starting, you know, mid-pack, he got up
the right away in stage one.
But yeah, I just thought it was so fitting that, you know, he finds a way in the second
and now we got 17 or so laps to go and I've got to keep him behind me.
So yeah, it's just, it was, it was tough, man.
It really was, you know, I had to, had to hit my marks.
I had to be disciplined and, um, yeah, just every time he kind of closed in,
I was able to position myself in a good spot and kind of take away,
you know, limit his options and we were able to keep him back there.
It seemed like to me, your car was, it was good in all the spots where it took away
the opportunity to pass most notably turned 20 and just how good it was off of 20 stuck
out like a sore thumb to me.
So it just, is that something intentional that, that you've worked on it at Kota?
It wasn't something that I necessarily knew was going to play out that way going into the
weekend.
You know, for us, I've typically always been the aggressor in the corner entries.
And I felt like Ryan and Shane were, were that way on, on Sunday.
And I don't know, I just, to me, I felt like I just had a little bit more success back
in that corner up a little bit, um, you know, uh, it's not really a secret, right?
With, with SMT and everything, you're able to go back and see all that.
But I, I just felt like I'd back the corner up a little bit, uh, to prioritize the exit.
And yeah, it just, it, it was great for lap time, but it ended up being really great defensively
too. You know, they could kind of roll to my back bumper in 20, um, but I would get enough
separation by the time we, we, you know, be going through the gears on the front stretch
to where it made it really hard for them to be in position to try and make it pass into one.
When you look at this, I mean, obviously doing something that nobody has, has done in, in NASCAR
history, winning the first three races of the season, obviously that, that's, but spectacular.
But from a driver's perspective and a team perspective to beat SVG heads up at a road course,
that, I mean, I know all you guys have been working to, to try to get to this point, that has to
just add to, uh, what you guys were able to accomplish this weekend with winning the first three.
Yeah. I knew coming into this, you know, it was, I know his practice, he wasn't happy with his
qualifying effort. He wasn't happy with, but I've seen what he's done, um, on these road courses.
He's, he's extremely good at what he does. And I just, I just knew it was going to come down to
beating him at the end of the race. I just, I just had that feeling, you know, any, any bit of myself
trying to tell, any bit of my head trying to tell me, Oh, you know, maybe something will happen,
want to have to race him. Like there was no reason to think that way. It was best to just
understand he's going to be in the mix at some point. He's going to be up there at some point.
So yeah, to be able to, I guess in a way go toe to toe with him and be able to pull away at the end
was, was very rewarding because, um, it's, it's been very hard for anyone to beat him on these
road courses. Uh, so to be able to do it the way that we did, um, for what was on the line,
I just think it was all very fitting for just the way this year has kind of gotten started.
What's made Kota so good for you? I mean, you've, you've qualified on a poll there.
You've won a race before there. You've, you've been in contention pretty much
every time that, that we've been there. Why, why is Kota so good for you?
You know, I, at one time I thought it was just the way the track was laid out. Um, and as it's
changed and as we shorten the course up, we've, you know, lost some of those really big braking
zones and, um, I think more towards the start, you know, when the Goodyear tires were harder,
it was more about just going really hard every lap. Um, and as, as we've taken downforce off
the car, as the tires gotten softer, um, as we've added horsepower, you know, what it takes, I think
has changed. So I would love to say that it's just because I get around Kota good, but I think,
you know, at this racetrack, what it, what I did in the car to win in 2023 and then in 2026
were very different. So I wish I could say what it is, but, um, I think it's just, we've, we've
done a really good job of bringing what, what needs to be had in a race car, um, two times now
when we've been able to get the job done. All right. So something a little more fun. Last two
questions here. We, we, we've had a debate on the set today because your last two burnouts have
been pretty spectacular. Um, we, we, we, we critique every, every one of them. I think it's
going to be really hard to beat the reverse burnout. Uh, this week's was really long. Uh,
when, when you're, when you're winning a lot like this multiple weeks in a row, do you think about
the burnout and what you can do from the week before how to make it better? Or do you just
roll with it and see where it goes before the tires blow out? Um, no, I don't think about
that much. Um, you know, we'll see how it continues to go. Maybe I'll think about it more in the
future, but you know, again, just with things changing, you know, um, with, with this format,
DNFs are going to be a killer. And so, um, I was reminded, you know, after, after Echo Park,
um, to, Hey, you know, these engines, we got to reuse some of these parts and pieces we got to
reuse. Let's, let's be a little kind to them. So, um, it was a big burnout, but I, I did my best to
kind of take care of the engine. I didn't want to turn a lot of RPMs or anything. So, um, I don't,
I definitely want to enjoy and celebrate these moments, but I, I do think it's important to
kind of just, just be mindful and, and, and take it easy on some of those parts and pieces.
The engine parts, the engine department always takes all the fun out of things, but
all right. Last question. Whose idea, whose idea was it? Whose idea was it to recreate this three
Pete photo? Because that was cool as hell. Yeah. Um, Sydney Friesen came up with the idea.
We were, we were up there on the stage. Um, she's, she's been, uh, over here on the PR side,
public relations side of 2311 for a number of years, uh, spent time at Roush, um, as well. So,
she's been here, uh, longer than me, I believe. And, um, yeah, she, she does great work. She's
typically, um, you know, last year we kind of mixed it up to where we're kind of rotating with,
with the staff that we have this year. Uh, she's, she's primarily with Bubba. Um, but
yeah, as far as I know, the idea came from her. It was an amazing idea and it was really fun to
be able to, to recreate that photo. Um, everyone jumped on board with it and we had some fun doing
it. So that's awesome. All the, all the credit goes to Sydney. She probably does not want to be
mentioned in this interview. I'll take you in the day. So she'll know about it later.
That's good. I just, I, I've never said her name or last name out loud. I don't know if it's free
surprising or free some. That's okay. Well, I'm sure you might give me crap about that.
Typical PR person that you'll mispronounce something or misspell something or whatever
the case is. I live with one at home as my wife. So I get critiqued honestly about everything I
say. Well, look, Tyler, you know, I, I, what you guys are doing is, is phenomenal. Um, you know,
you guys and, and, and the run that you're on, I, I'm super happy for, for you and Denny and Michael
and your whole team. Congratulations on everything. We appreciate your time as always and good luck
with now you're, you're done with three. So now the only conversation is, is going out and trying
to get four. So good luck on that, on that journey. And I know it's going to be, uh, it's going to be
tough, but I'm looking forward to it. I, uh, I'm going to have to get in my bag a little bit here
at, here at Phoenix.
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