Denny Hamlin can strongly attest to the fact that winning the NASCAR Cup Series championship is not an easy task. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran has tried 19 times and failed. However, what he sees in Tyler Reddick are qualities that only a champion possesses. He underlined the same after the 23XI Racing driver’s victory at COTA on Sunday.
Reddick’s impressive performance resulted in his third consecutive win since the start of the season. With it, he became the only driver since the Cup Series’ inception in 1949 to win the opening three races of a NASCAR season. This is particularly appealing to Hamlin because the wins were on three tracks that present different kinds of challenges.
Advertisement
The23XI Racing co-owner said, “It’s unbelievable. I’m not going to see it again in my lifetime. Someone to go out there and win three races in a row to start the season. I mean, yeah, what a dream start for those guys. All kinds of, you’ve got Atlanta and Daytona, and here it’s just different tracks.” He reminded the No. 45 crew that the big challenge will be over the coming weekend at Phoenix.
The short track is a venue where Reddick hasn’t enjoyed great success in the past. If he can win again, it will be a humongous achievement. What has impressed Hamlin even further is the discipline that he sees in Reddick. He noted that a driver cannot earn pole positions at tracks like COTA unless he is really disciplined.
Hamlin added, “When I’m looking from… where I restarted there, and he’s under attack those first few laps of restart, he just stayed absolutely disciplined and didn’t make any mistakes. So that’s what champions are made of, and he’s well on his way.” Those are big words from him.
In 2025, Christopher Bell similarly began his campaign. After William Byron won the season-opening Daytona 500, he went on a victory streak and won three consecutive races. But he did not end up as the champion. But a key difference to note is that the Chase format is in play in 2026. Which means the points a driver accumulates are what matter.
Advertisement
Reddick has earned 186 points so far and is far ahead of his competitors already. Next to him is his teammate, Bubba Wallace, with 116 points. The season is a long one. He will need to keep this level of performance up consistently to run away with the title. From the looks of it, it sure looks like he will.
The post Denny Hamlin: Tyler Reddick “Is Well on His Way” to Become a Future NASCAR Cup Champion appeared first on The SportsRush.
