Tyler Reddick secured the pole position for the 2026 DuraMax Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, February 28, continuing his strong start to the NASCAR season. The achievement marks another highlight in his bid for a third consecutive Cup Series victory, underscoring his reputation as a dominant force on road courses and keeping the Tyler Reddick COTA pole 2026 storyline firmly in focus.
Reddick Dominates COTA Qualifying for Pole Position
Saturday’s qualifying at COTA featured an intense format, splitting the field of 37 drivers into two separate groups. Each group was given a fast-paced 20-minute session to post their quickest laps. Tyler Reddick, competing in the second group, logged a lap of 88.380 mph at 97.760 seconds—earning him the fastest qualifying time overall and the coveted pole position for Sunday’s race.
The No. 45 Chumba Casino/23XI Racing Toyota Camry XSE, the machine piloted by Reddick, showed impressive speed despite Reddick ranking 19th in the earlier practice session. This pole marks his twelfth career in the NASCAR Cup Series, his first of the 2026 campaign, and notably, his third at this Austin circuit. Reddick’s momentum also follows his pole position at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway the prior weekend, which he earned through NASCAR’s qualifying metric formula.
Pressure and Excitement Ahead of Race Day
Reddick enters the COTA main event on the back of consecutive victories at Daytona and Atlanta, aiming to become the first driver ever to start the Cup Series season with three straight wins. The Corning, California native is poised to make history if he can convert his strong qualifying into another trip to victory lane.
Addressing the pressure and his team’s performance, Reddick shared his thoughts:
“I, maybe, should have called my shot earlier, but some pressure comes with that,”
Tyler Reddick, Driver
“I love going fast and road courses are a lot of fun in qualifying. Just proud of everyone’s effort here at 23XI [Racing]. Our Chumba Casino Toyota Camry was fast at Daytona and it seems fast here to start this one off. I don’t know where Shane [van Gisbergen] is starting,”
Tyler Reddick, Driver
“but just got to try and get as much of a head start on him as I can and try to stay ahead of him all day.”
Tyler Reddick, Driver
Front Row and Top Starters Announced
Sharing the front row with Reddick will be Ross Chastain, who is no stranger to success at COTA, having claimed his first Cup victory at the venue in 2022. Chastain qualified with a lap at 88.256 mph in 97.897 seconds. Rounding out the top five are Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott, all of whom delivered strong qualifying performances to book prime starting spots.
Michael McDowell was fastest in the earlier practice and led the first qualifying group, earning a sixth-place starting position. The remainder of the top ten features AJ Allmendinger, Christopher Bell (the reigning COTA winner), Ty Gibbs, and William Byron. Key names such as Zane Smith, Carson Hocevar, and Shane van Gisbergen occupy critical starting positions just outside the top ten.
Full Starting Grid: Qualifying Positions and Speeds
Below are the full results from qualifying, listing the starting order, best speeds, and lap times for the COTA event:
1. Tyler Reddick, 88.380 mph, 97.760 seconds
2. Ross Chastain, 88.256 mph, 97.897 seconds
3. Chase Briscoe, 88.242 mph, 97.913 seconds
4. Ryan Blaney, 88.179 mph, 97.982 seconds
5. Chase Elliott, 88.161 mph, 98.002 seconds
6. Michael McDowell, 88.031 mph, 98.147 seconds
7. AJ Allmendinger, 88.027 mph, 98.152 seconds
8. Christopher Bell, 87.980 mph, 98.204 seconds
9. Ty Gibbs, 87.931 mph, 98.259 seconds
10. William Byron, 87.822 mph, 98.381 seconds
11. Zane Smith, 87.798 mph, 98.408 seconds
12. Carson Hocevar, 87.749 mph, 98.463 seconds
13. Shane van Gisbergen, 87.748 mph, 98.464 seconds
14. Chris Buescher, 87.719 mph, 98.497 seconds
15. Kyle Larson, 87.703 mph, 98.514 seconds
16. Alex Bowman, 87.678 mph, 98.542 seconds
17. Todd Gilliland, 87.661 mph, 98.562 seconds
18. Cole Custer, 87.661 mph, 98.562 seconds
19. Denny Hamlin, 87.612 mph, 98.617 seconds
20. Joey Logano, 87.560 mph, 98.675 seconds
21. Ty Dillon, 87.474 mph, 98.772 seconds
22. Josh Berry, 87.443 mph, 98.807 seconds
23. Daniel Suarez, 87.418 mph, 98.836 seconds
24. Bubba Wallace, 87.416 mph, 98.838 seconds
25. Connor Zilisch, 87.365 mph, 98.895 seconds
26. Brad Keselowski, 87.346 mph, 98.917 seconds
27. Jesse Loe, 87.276 mph, 98.996 seconds
28. Austin Cindric, 87.265 mph, 99.009 seconds
29. Ryan Preece, 87.201 mph, 99.082 seconds
30. Kyle Busch, 87.132 mph, 99.160 seconds
31. John Hunter Nemechek, 87.032 mph, 99.274 seconds
32. Riley Herbst, 86.893 mph, 99.433 seconds
33. Austin Dillon, 86.610 mph, 99.757 seconds
34. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 86.590 mph, 99.781 seconds
35. Noah Gragson, 86.523 mph, 99.858 seconds
36. Erik Jones, 86.450 mph, 99.942 seconds
37. Cody Ware, 86.345 mph, 100.064 seconds
Every Competitor Earns a Race Start
With only 37 competitors for 37 available starting spots, every driver who qualified will take part in Sunday’s main event. The DuraMax Texas Grand Prix is set to take place on Sunday, March 1, with live broadcast coverage beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM, and HBO MAX. Fans will be watching to see whether Tyler Reddick can leverage his COTA pole advantage and extend his winning record at the start of the season.
Implications for the Season and What’s at Stake
The focus is now squarely on whether Reddick can capture an unprecedented third straight win to open the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, something never before achieved. With frontrunners like Ross Chastain, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, and Michael McDowell all starting near the front—each with their own ambitions and strong recent performances—the stage is set for an intense, highly competitive race. The outcome at COTA may well shape the championship narrative for the months to come, and all eyes will be on Reddick, the rest of the field, and the unfolding drama on one of NASCAR’s most challenging road courses.
