Tyler Reddick has won four of the season’s first six races, outpacing the “Big 3” teams of Hendrick, Gibbs, and Penske.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. β After a modest two-race winless streak, Tyler Reddick returned to victory lane on Sunday at Darlington for his fourth win of the season.
Additionally, Reddick set a personal best for wins in a season after just six races and jumped out to a monstrous 95-point lead over Ryan Blaney in the standings.Β
Reddick and 23XI Racing have set themselves as the class of the field in the season’s early portion. Bubba Wallace ranks third in the points standings, his best position at this point of the year in his career.
“To win four [races] in the fashion weβve won the four is pretty remarkable,” Reddick said in the media center after Sunday’s race. “Three of the four wins weβve had to fight through some level of adversity… Just really proud of my team.”
Sunday’s race was Reddick’s to lose from the drop of the green flag, and he faced adversity that threatened his chances at victory. Reddick started on the pole and led the first 45 laps in his No. 45 Toyota before a green-flag, lengthy pit stop cost him several positions.
On a later stop, Reddick’s team replaced the car’s battery. Reddick noticed the alternator was failing on the first lap. He opted to shut off his cooling system to conserve the battery so the team’s car would last to the end of the first stage.
Even with a new battery, though, Reddick still lacked a cooling system for much of the race.
“The final 100 laps were brutally hot, “Reddick said. “[Crew chief] Billy [Scott] asked me if I was willing to stay and keep everything off. I was all in because I really wanted to win here.”
Reddick’s astounding start matches Dale Earnhardt’s 1987 and Bill Elliott’s 1992 seasons. They’re the only other drivers with four wins in the season’s first six races.
The electric start is even more remarkable when you factor in who Reddick drives for, or perhaps who he doesn’t drive for. NASCAR’s proverbial “Big 3” teams — Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Team Penske — Β have dominated the sport for over a decade with little room for competition.
The last driver to win the title while not racing for these three teams was Martin Truex Jr. in 2017. Since 2005, these teams have won 18 of the 21 championships.Β
In 2025, 27 of the season’s 36 races were won by the “Big 3” teams. Through the first 12 races of 2025, all but one race was won by drivers for those teams. The last time four of the first six races were won by drivers outside the “Big 3” was 2018.
After six races, the “Big 3” teams occupy six of the top 10 spots in the points standings and eight of the 16 Chase spots. The “Big 3” teams field 11 drivers.
With Reddick and Wallace holding two of the top three spots, 23XI’s success at crown-jewel races, and the on-track presence of its big-name owners, some are wondering whether there now exists a “Big 4” in the NASCAR Cup Series.
When asked about the concept, Reddick said it wasn’t a concern for him.
“Weβll just keep working hard and keep winning races, and weβll let you guys figure that part out,” Reddick said.Β
Denny Hamlin, one of the team’s co-owners who races the No. 11 for Joe Gibbs Racing, said the team has earned its way into being considered among the best in the sport.
“We certainly would say right now that thereβs not a whole lot more to do to be at that level,” Hamlin said. “Theyβre there right now. Theyβre at that level.”
Hamlin added that the team is riding a dominant run.
“We just donβt have any weaknesses right now,” Hamlin told reporters after Sunday’s race. “I have far more weaknesses in the 11 than the 45 has when it comes to the schedule.”
Hamlin, however, noted 23XI Racing needs to improve on short tracks.
NBA legend Michael Jordan co-owns 23XI Racing with Hamlin. He’s consistently appeared at the race track to watch his team compete, adding a dynamic presence on the pit box.
The team has a long way to go to reach the accolades amassed by Hendrick, Gibbs, and Penske, but the first six weeks prove the team can be dangerous, at least for this season. Reddick’s four wins have him far ahead of the pack. Wallace’s four top 10s and stage-point focus have him off to a great start despite a 34th-place finish on Sunday. 23XI’s third entry is piloted by second-year driver Riley Herbst, who is a bit further behind in 27th, but has shown slight improvement from 2025.
23XI Racing is more focused on racing for its first championship than worrying about an arbitrary look at NASCAR dynamics, but the team has to feel like this is its moment to prove itself.