NASCAR: 23XI's early dominance

We are six races into the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, and one driver and team have been the dominant force in the sport so far.

23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick has won four, yes four, of the first six races of the season. This includes a three-race win streak to open the season, which started at the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race on the NASCAR schedule.

Reddick and team then showed some early resilience at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta. After being involved in a wreck and having the entire right side of his fender cut away, Reddick willed his No. 45 machine to victory lane.

His versatility was shown off the week after, when he wheeled around the Circuit of the Americas in Dallas for his third straight win.

His win streak ended in race four at Phoenix, but he still finished eighth and then 13th at Las Vegas.

Thanks to his hot start, Reddick sits atop the point standings, an incredible 95 points ahead of second-place Ryan Blaney.

It would be unfair to just mention the 45 crew, though, as 23XI’s other team, the No. 23 driven by Bubba Wallace, has also had a solid start to the season.

No wins so far for Wallace, but he is currently third in the point standings with four top tens in these first six races.

Wallace has also led 86 laps so far this year, and his best finish is 6th place at Phoenix, two spots ahead of Reddick.

Now, this wouldn’t be a just article without mentioning who the owners of 23XI Racing are. The XI half, which is roman numerals for 11, is NASCAR legend Denny Hamlin, who still competes in the Cup Series to this day.

Hamlin, now in his 22nd season, has amassed 61 wins, which include three Daytona 500 titles. He also won the Las Vegas race almost two weeks ago.

Although he has not captured the ultimate prize of a championship, he remains one of the biggest threats to win it year in and year out.

The other half of the ownership? The 23rd side, that is, belongs to NBA legend Michael Jordan.

MJ has been all-in on 23XI racing since its inception in 2021, when Wallace was the only driver for the team.

The team’s first win came in their debut season, when Wallace won a rain-shortened race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Since then, the team has won a total of 12 races, but the most they have won in a season was two in 2024.

Reddick has doubled the team’s win total in just six races and was the first driver in NASCAR history to win three consecutive races to open a season.

23XI has a third car, the No. 35 of Riley Herbst, who sits 27th in points right now, but he is young and is still looking to break out.

Now the team and series look ahead to Martinsville this weekend, a very tight half-mile short track, where it is very tough to win, so it will be fun to see if 23XI, Reddick and Wallace can keep up their momentum.

Evan Pochas is a third-year student studying broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ejp5753@psu.edu.