Throughout NASCAR’s storied history, there have been seasons where a driver leaves the field in the dust from the word go and never looks back.
And while it’s very, very early to make such a declaration about the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season just six races in, Tyler Reddick’s victory at Darlington Raceway on Sunday — his fourth of the season — only bolstered what was already an incredible start to the 2026 campaign for the No. 45 team.
Reddick became the first driver to ever win the first three races in a season and has been the points leader from the outset of the season. But despite a pole run in qualifying at Darlington on Saturday, a win on Sunday didn’t seem to be in the cards.
That was due to voltage issues that forced Reddick to essentially abandon all forms of driver cooling on a very warm day in South Carolina and muscle his Toyota Camry around NASCAR’s toughest, most treacherous venue while under intense physical strain.