The NASCAR Cup Series 2026 continues to highlight Tyler Reddick’s dominant form, as he claimed pole position for the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway.
Driving the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota Camry (Toyota), Reddick posted a 29.142-second lap (185.300 mph) to earn his third Busch Light Pole Award of the season, second at Kansas and 14th of his career.
He narrowly beat team owner Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry (Toyota) by just 0.019 seconds.
Toyota Controls the Grid as Reddick Stays on Form
Toyota continued its strong run at Kansas, claiming five poles in the last six races at the track.
Four Toyota cars secured positions inside the top five:
- 1st: Tyler Reddick – No. 45 Toyota (23XI Racing)
- 2nd: Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
- 3rd: Ty Gibbs – No. 54 Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
- 5th: Chase Briscoe – No. 19 Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Kyle Larson, the defending champion, was the only non-Toyota in the top five, qualifying fourth in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro (Chevrolet) after matching Gibbs’ lap time.
The top 10 was completed by Carson Hocevar, Chris Buescher, Daniel Suárez, Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace.
Reddick Eyes Historic Milestone in Dominant Season
The pole comes amid a remarkable start to the 2026 season for Reddick, who already has four wins, including victories in the opening three races.
Notably, his last three wins have all come from pole position, underlining the importance of qualifying performance.
A win at Kansas would make Reddick just the fourth driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win five of the first nine races of a season — something not achieved since Dale Earnhardt in 1987.
He currently leads the championship standings by 62 points over Ryan Blaney, strengthening his early title challenge.
Reddick emphasized consistency as the key factor: “The most important thing is having handling you can trust over the long run.”
That consistency was also evident in practice, where he led the session and posted the fastest averages over multiple long runs.
With both qualifying speed and race pace, Reddick enters the AdventHealth 400 as the clear driver to beat.