NASCAR 2026: Tyler Reddick predicts tougher Cup Series competition after 2026 dominance

NASCAR star Tyler Reddick has issued his verdict on whether or not the Cup Series title is his to lose after a hot start to 2026.

Following Reddick's overtime victory at Kansas Speedway last Sunday, the 23XI star has now taken five victories in the opening nine races of the season, and sits handsomely in the Cup Series standings as a result.

With the new championship format rewarding race victories with more points than in the past, Reddick has amassed 457 points through the opening nine rounds, leaving him 105 points ahead of Denny Hamlin in second place.

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Tyler Reddick analyses Cup Series after hot 2026 start

So far, so good for Reddick, but after the race at Kansas on Sunday, one member of the media asked the 23XI star if it was now his championship to lose.

Reddick, though, says there is a long way to go, highlighting the strength of some of his rivals, and predicting the competition to tighten up and get even stronger as the season progresses.

"Yeah, I mean, it’s early," Reddick told the media in his post-race press conference. "I mean, we saw today the 11 [Hamlin] is strong. I know the 20 [Christopher Bell] is strong, as well.

"The 5 [Kyle Larson], he finds ways to get more speed out of his cars when it seems like handling is lacking a bit. There’s a lot of really good teams, a lot of good pit crews, a lot of good minds in this garage.

"Certainly, over these next 17 races, the ones that are missing it a little bit here and there are going to start hitting it. I think the competition will certainly continue to tighten up as we get through this year."

Reddick looking to steal more wins

Reddick continued, revealing that he hopes his strong points position will see his team take more gambles as the season progresses, which, in turn, he hopes will result in even more race victories.

"We’ve done a really good job of making the most of our days and scoring a lot of points," he added.

"Yeah, we’ll see when we get to the Chase, right? It’s going to get reset and everyone’s going to get the points that they’ve earned. We’ll go from there.

"We’ll just try and get as comfortable a lead as possible. If we can maintain a gap like this as we get further into the season, hopefully it puts us in position to try and steal some more wins if it’s split strategy calls middle of the race or late in the race."