Tyler Reddick made history Sunday at Circuit of the Americas, becoming the first driver ever to win the first three races to start a NASCAR Cup Series season. Two superspeedway wins to kick off the year was a great achievement, but adding a third by beating the reigning road course dominator toe-to-toe makes this record-setting run even more special. Reddick started the weekend on the forefoot by taking pole position in qualifying. He then executed his race strategy to perfection, leading 58 of 95 laps to score the win. Throughout the running, Shane van Gisbergen stalked the No. 45 but couldn't match the pace in the closing miles and was forced to settle for a runner-up finish, ending his streak of consecutive road course wins at five. It was another perfect afternoon for Reddick who now holds a commanding lead in the early-season championship standings.
The coming races make up the core of the NASCAR schedule. First up is a return to Phoenix Raceway where Denny Hamlin dominated last fall before having the championship slip through his fingers and into Kyle Larson's hands. This year's change in championship format, and shifting of the season finale to Homestead, make Phoenix less critical than it has been in the past, but it remains the first of a stretch of races where fans should see some normalization among the established order. Phoenix, and the coming core of intermediate ovals, will give fans a glimpse of which drivers are lining up to try prying Reddick's vicelike grip from the championship lead.
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NASCAR Power Rankings After COTA
1. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing No. 45
Last Week: 1
Tyler Reddick continued his perfect start to the 2026 season with a third successive victory, becoming the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win the first three races of a new season. The third in that string was a special one as he topped Shave van Gisbergen, who dominated road courses in 2025, to score the victory. Reddick's third season win leaves him as the only driver to have finished inside the top 10 in the three races run so far with a massive 70-point lead in the standings. The No. 45 team's start to this season is unprecedented but faces perhaps its biggest test yet at Phoenix Raceway. Reddick failed to finish in the top 20 in both stops at that track last season. However, he finished third twice in 12 series starts at the track with four total top-10 finishes in that span.
2. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9
Last Week: 2
Not too long ago, Chase Elliott was the driver to beat at road courses. That success waned since the introduction of the current generation of car, but Elliott has been rebuilding his speed at those tracks the past few seasons. That work showed again Sunday at Austin when Elliott qualified fifth and went on to finish seventh in the race. That top-10 was his second of the season, and Elliott now heads to Phoenix third in the championship standings, with a 14-point gap over fourth and just two points behind second. That strong early position could be further bolstered at Phoenix, too. Elliott is a former winner at the track with 11 top-10 finishes from 19 starts including both races last season.
3. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12
Last Week: 4
Even though Ryan Blaney won at the Charlotte ROVAL, he hasn't been tabbed as one of the top road racers in the series. Last week's visit to COTA may have helped to change that perception, though. Blaney was quick throughout every session, qualified fourth, scored stage points, and finished the race eighth. It was a better-than-expected performance for the No. 12, and it gives the team valuable points and momentum as the schedule starts to turn toward tracks that suit Blaney's strengths. Leaving Austin, Blaney is fourth in the championship standings, and he is the most recent winner at Phoenix, too. We could be witnessing the start of a streak of top results for the No. 12 Team Penske squad.
4. Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing No. 23
Last Week: 3
Getting through the first road course stop of the season without losing too much ground in the standings was the goal for Wallace and the No. 23 team, and that exactly what they accomplished. As the race progressed, they even found themselves in position to score stage points, which come in very handy as points battles tighten up throughout the season. In the end, Wallace scored an 11th-place finish with the extra stage points to boot, which was a good day at what was expected to be a tough stop for them. With the last mission accomplished, focus is now on some more traditional ovals where the No. 23 can gain ground. Just getting back to Wallace's 2024 Phoenix form when he finished 16th and seventh would be a good outcome this coming week.
5. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5
Last Week: 7
Sunday's sixth-place finish at COTA was the first top-10 finish of the season for Larson and the No. 5 crew. Larson qualified just 15th for the race but was able to move forward in the order and leverage strategy to land an important top-10 finish, establishing a platform from which to build on in the coming weeks. One of the aspects this team is working to improve upon in 2026 is their consistency week to week. The No. 5 is no stranger to Victory Lane, but it is just as familiar with failing to finish races. Consistency through the year is more important with the new championship format, too. A trip to Phoenix should be a boost in that direction. Larson finished third there in both races last season.
6. Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22
Last Week: 6
Logano has had some success at road courses, but avoiding trouble and having a confident points day is more of the expectation from the No. 22. That is just what he and the team delivered at COTA, too. A mediocre qualifying outing of 20th set the stage for a difficult day deep in traffic, but Logano navigated the challenge well and finished five spots higher than where he started for a 15th-place finish. Squeaking top-15 points out of challenging days could make the difference between championship success and failure under the new format, too. The coming races should also give Logano a chance to move toward the front. At Phoenix, he four-time victor with two top-fives in his last three visits.
7. Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19
Last Week: 5
The stage was set for a top finish from Briscoe Sunday at Circuit of the Americas, but an early transaxle issue dropped him out of contention. Briscoe started quickly and led eight laps, which made it seem as though his Toyota was going to be a contender throughout the afternoon. All that promise evaporated with the mechanical issue, and Briscoe fell from contender to the first and only car completely out of the race, though. The damage in the points was painful, too. With no stage points and a last-place finish, Briscoe fell 12 positions in the standings to 27th. The team needs a quick turnaround this week at Phoenix to regain some of their lost ground. Briscoe won at the circuit in 2022 but only finished in the top 15 once in his past four tries.
8. William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24
Last Week: 8
A 13th-place finish may not have been what the No. 24 team was hoping for at COTA, but it wasn't a horrible afternoon this early in the season. Byron started the weekend confidently, qualifying 10th for the race, but didn't make much of an impact at the front of the field throughout the afternoon. He did score stage points in the second segment, and he finished the race 13th, though. That effort gave him a good points return and helped him retain 13th in the standings, inside the the early Chase positions, setting the stage for success in the coming weeks. At Phoenix, Byron is a former winner with five top-10 finishes from his last seven starts. A top-10 this coming week should be the expectation, which will help bolster Byron's position in the standings.
9. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20
Last Week: N/A
The first two races of the 2026 season were not kind to Christopher Bell. He walked away from both superspeedway stops without a finish in the top 20 and outside the top 30 in the championship standings. A good day was a necessity to finally get the year rolling, and Bell seized the opportunity. First, he qualified inside the top 10, then he managed the race as planned and climbed to the third-place finishing spot for the finish. The top-five moved him up seven positions in the standings and gives Bell a boost ahead of tracks he has been quick at in the past. At Phoenix, Bell has two victories from 12 starts along with nearly 300 laps led in the last three races. Last week's race got the No. 20's season off the mark, and fantasy players expect Bell to now climb the standings.
10. Chris Buescher, RFK Racing No. 17
Last Week: 10
Buescher's quick start to the 2026 season ran into a difficult hurdle Sunday. The RFK Racing driver got his the year rolling quickly with successive superspeedway stops, and Sunday's road course visit wasn't expected to bring a change in that form. However, traffic and contact in the pack made it a tough afternoon for the No. 17. Stage points in the first segment of the day weren't enough to keep him from slipping a spot to 11th in the championship standings. Sunday should have been a day Buescher segregated himself from that tight points battle, but heading to Phoenix, he is in the middle of a 10-way driver battle separated by just 20 points. Buescher's fortunes at Phoenix have been improving recently with top-15 finishes in the last six races there, but it will be more difficult for him to separate himself in the standings there versus a place like COTA.
Knocking on the Door
Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing No. 97
Last Week: N/A
After dominating and winning five road course races last season, it was widely expected that Shane van Gisbergen would come out on top again last week. Qualifying showed something different, though. The No. 97 only managed 13th on the grid for Sunday's race. Once racing was underway, Van Gisbergen moved quickly and confidently forward, though. However, in the closing miles, Tyler Reddick just had too much and SVG couldn't track down and pass the No. 45 and settled for a second-place finish. That, plus a sixth-place finish at Atlanta, leave SVG fifth in the early series standings, though. Another top finish this week at Phoenix would be a big step forward and further indication that oval improvement is here, which is the last piece this contender is missing.
Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports No. 77
Last Week: 9
Hocevar's aggressive approach since joining the Cup Series came home to roost Sunday. The Spire Motorsports driver qualified 12th and was running near the top 10, scoring stage points in the first segment. He continued to race in the pack but was turned into the front-straight wall late in the running, dropping him down to 31st in the finishing order. As a result, Hocevar fell six places in the standings to 10th. With margins as tight as they are at the top level of NASCAR racing, opportunities for points can't afford to be lost, and Sunday's missed points could be damaging later in the year. Hocevar has a reputation amongst the drivers on track and navigating that reality could be a challenge for the young driver. Hocevar clearly has the talent to win races, but getting one will be harder with other drivers seeking payback.
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11
Last Week: N/A
Hamlin scored his first top-10 of the season with a 10th-place finish Sunday at Austin. The veteran picked his way forward from the 19th starting position to score points in the opening stage, and then carried on to grab the top finish at the end. Those valuable points stopped the early bleeding and gets the No. 11 started on what should be a sustained climb up the championship standings. Phoenix and the more traditional tracks next on the schedule play to Hamlin's strengths and the championship landscape could look very different in just a few weeks. Next up will be a return to Phoenix where he though he had the 2025 championship in hand last fall. Hamlin led 208 laps from pole in that race before finishing sixth.
