After winning Sunday’s (April 19) AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, Tyler Reddick continues his climb into NASCAR’s history book. In taking advantage of a late caution to usurp Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson, the driver of the No. 45 Toyota has now won a whopping five of the first nine races this season.
With this win, Reddick has most recently tied Dale Earnhardt‘s 1987 season for the most wins through nine events. From superspeedways to road courses and now ovals, Michael Jordan’s signature 23XI Racing signing is hitting all the right notes.
Is it time to put Reddick on the pedestal of getting in striking distance of NASCAR’s modern record? Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon each nabbed 13 wins in a season and now Reddick approaches halfway just a quarter into a season. Thomas Dunn and Michael Bellifemini debate that and more on this weeks 2-Headed Monster.
It’s Time That We Dare to Dream
In acknowledging that there’s still a long way to go, I’m putting all my chips in for Tyler Reddick here.
You don’t just attain this type of notoriety without having a little bit of that it factor and some good fortune.
Give me Reddick to at the very least break the Next Gen wins in a season record, which is six. I know in certain respects that avoids the main question.
Getting on the level of Petty and Gordon is a herculean task but there’s no reason he can’t get in the conversation or even get to the double-digit win mark, which would be jaw dropping within this era of the NASCAR Cup Series in its own right.
Despite all of the parity that the Next Gen car has shown at times, Reddick and 23XI Racing have set the standard to this point in 2026. Bubba Wallace, Corey Heim and Riley Herbst have also all shown varying strength at times, putting 23XI as the team to beat.
Considering some of the theatrics that have taken place for the No. 45 to be at this position in the first place, it’s fair to ask if they can achieve more. Winning can stop on a dime, but when the good times are rolling like this, who am I to cap the ceiling of what this team can accomplish?
Take a look at some of the tracks coming up, and Reddick has a chance to make the noise surrounding this topic become that much louder. He’s won at Talladega Superspeedway and Texas Motor Speedway in his career, and he’s put together some decent results at Charlotte Motor Speedway as well. There’s ample opportunity to pounce and make 2026 turn back the clock to earlier in the decade when Kevin Harvick and Larson were nearing or reaching double-digit win totals for a season.
I can’t sit here and prognosticate that Reddick will reach the heights that two of the five best drivers in Cup Series history have accomplished, but he’s sure wedging himself into making a case. People within the industry have shaken off the Daytona 500 and Atlanta victories to start the year and are of the idea that this is just more than a hot stretch.
I know this can be a preposterous side to be taking given that Reddick still needs eight more wins to reach that mountain top, but ruminating over dominance that we haven’t seen in some time doesn’t do a lot of good. There’s a lot that needs to be fixed in this sport, but celebrating Reddick’s achievements should be front of mind.
There’s massive intrigue here with a shot at history off in the distance, and I’m backing it even as someone who grew up clinging to Gordon. – Thomas Dunn
We Need to Get Real and Enjoy It for What It Is
This stretch of winning that Tyler Reddick has achieved is very impressive, but in this era of NASCAR, I struggle to believe that Reddick and his No. 45 team can get to 13 wins in a season.
As Thomas mentioned, the Next Gen era wins record is six, which was recorded three separate times. Reddick should be able to eclipse that easily, only needing two more. Then the next big accomplishment, aside from the regular season title and championship, is hitting double digits.
A double-digit win total has only been hit twice since Gordon’s historic 1998 campaign when two other Hendrick Motorsports legends, Jimmie Johnson and Larson, got to 10 wins during their championship seasons in 2007 and 2021, respectively.
Reddick getting to 10 wins in an era of NASCAR where the cars are as close together as they have ever been would be incredible. He is halfway towards that mark but still eight away from tying the modern record, which is why I am still hesitant towards him reaching that milestone.
Surprisingly, despite his five wins, Reddick is only fifth in laps led this season with 199 behind Denny Hamlin, Larson, Christopher Bell, and Ryan Blaney. Reddick also has not won a stage yet this season, so there are still some signs that he is not completely dominating the races he wins and that other contenders are not far off of the No. 45 team.
The Toyotas specifically have gotten off to a phenomenal start to the season with Ford’s inconsistency, and the Chevrolets still trying to figure out their new nose. Hamlin is second in points, Ty Gibbs is in fourth, and fellow 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace is eighth. Toyota drivers are clearly competitive enough to steal wins away from Reddick while the other manufacturers are lagging behind.
Looking at the rest of the season’s schedule, there are four drafting tracks where anyone can win at and three road courses that Reddick has never won at (including the San Diego race which is new to everybody). That leaves 20 races left, and Reddick has to win eight of them to tie the record; a win rate that high is hard to maintain over that long of a stretch.
As of now, Reddick holds a 105-point lead in the driver standings, and I am sure his team is going to keep pushing for more wins. However, the competition should get tougher as the season progresses with drivers like Larson, Bell, William Byron and more due to get back to victory lane.
If this season ends with Reddick capturing 13 or more wins to tie or break the modern wins record, I will gladly tip my cap and admire such an impressive feat as it will be a difficult climb to get there. But as of right now, 13 wins is a number too high and too far out of reach. – Michael Bellifemini
Thomas is in his second year covering NASCAR at Frontstretch. A Bay Area NASCAR fan for over 15+ years, he found his love for the sport through Jeff Gordon. He helps manage the 2-Headed Monster Column.
Thomas has enjoyed several trips to Sonoma Raceway in his time and currently covers college athletics in the Bay Area, writing about the California Golden Bears and doing play by play broadcasting.
Michael Bellifemini joined Frontstretch in February 2026 as a contributor. Bellifemini was born and raised in New Jersey and graduated from Seton Hall University. He called Seton Hall men's and women's basketball games for their college radio station, 89.5 FM WSOU, and continues to broadcast in the area. Outside of covering NASCAR, Bellifemini is also an avid baseball, football, basketball, and hockey fan and enjoys watching different sports leagues on a daily basis.
In 1987, there were 29 races. This year, 2026, there are 36. Not quite the same comparison.
Seeing as there are now 25 more POINTS for a win, here’s a project! If there were 25 more POINTS for a win under the Latford system, would there have been a different champion that year?
I think “Modern Era” in NASCAR should be redefined as anything post “chase” implementation – so 2004+.
“Classic” NASCAR should be 1972-2003, with perhaps “Vintage” NASCAR being 1948-1971.