Is Tyler Reddick the first driver to win the first three NASCAR Cup Series races of the season? Everything you need to know

Tyler Reddick 77 changed years of NASCAR history when he became the first driver to win the first three races of a season. Sunday’s Duramax Texas Grand Prix saw the 23XI Racing driver outpace the field to take a hat-trick win at Circuit of the Americas.

Reddick started the season by winning the Daytona 500 by just one lap in the lead. He went even further by winning in Atlanta despite missing the front barrier. Now, the 30-year-old has denied Shane van Gisbergen his sixth successive win on the road course.

This feat would have tied SVG with Jeff Gordon’s road course line. However, the New Zealander had some handling issues on Sunday and started in the middle of the pack. He managed to catch Reddick in the final laps, but the Californian was always one step ahead and finished 3.944 seconds behind.

Notably, Reddick lost his pole position early on, as Chase Briscoe spun through him at turn one. The No. 45 driver was back in the lead by the second stage, until he decided to flip the stage back to track position. The final stage was smooth sailing for Reddick, as he finished 58 laps down the field.

NASCAR shared an X post to commemorate Reddick’s accomplishment.

The caption read: “A start for the ages! @TylerReddick becomes the first driver in history to win the first three races of the season with a @NASCARatCOTA victory!”

Tyler Reddick leads in points with 186 points to his name. He trails his closest competitor, Bubba Wallace, by 51 points.

‘Time for a change’: Michael Jordan’s reaction to Tyler Reddick’s COTA Championship win

Michael Jordan is no stranger to three-pointers, having accomplished the feat twice in the NBA championship. The 23XI team owner has now reached the same milestone thanks to a Tyler Reddick hat-trick.

In a post-race interview with Jimmy Little, Jordan enjoyed the new record.

“It’s time for a change. Even the guys feel the same way. Tyler came here with the most pressure I think, everyone expects him or him to win three races in a row, and that’s the hardest win. He’s kept his strategy and put the guys together for a great car. I think Billy did an unbelievable job setting up the matchups, the race, and Tyler did a good job,” he said via the official NASCAR website.

“He won a good competition,” Jordan added, “I mean you see SVG back out there and you get a little nervous, but I think he pretty much covered it all day long.”

Michael Jordan also gave props to Denny Hamlin for selecting Tyler Reddick and organizing the entire team. He ended his interview by insisting that he would return to Phoenix to chase another record.

It is worth noting that Christopher Bell achieved a three-peat last year, but was unable to do so four times in a row. Reddick now has the opportunity to do that and match Jimmie Johnson’s record in Phoenix.