Tyler Reddick and a Three-Time Daytona 500 Champion Clinch Spots in the 2026 Chase
The first two spots in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase have been taken by Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin. These two Toyota superstars have been the class of the Cup Series all season, with nine combined wins and 20 combined top-fives. One of the two contends for wins in virtually every single race. The two are the poster for Toyota’s dominant 2026 Cup Series season. The clinching of a Chase spot for both drivers six races before the Chase begins is right in line with their season.
The Three-Time Daytona 500 champion Hamlin is the real winner here. Not only is Hamlin the points leader entering North Wilkesboro, but he also owns the car Reddick drives. The 45 was the winner of five of the first nine races, including a Daytona 500 win and a Darlington win in an Xfinity scheme that spoiled the throwback party. Hamlin himself would go on to win at Las Vegas in March and then three races in a row in late June. After the team owned by Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan sued NASCAR in 2025, this swing of momentum is exactly what Hamlin, Reddick, Jordan, their teammates Bubba Wallace, Corey Heim, and Riley Herbst, and Toyota needed for the 2026 season.
With the 11 and 45 in, some drivers are likely to clinch a spot in the 2026 Chase as soon as next week. Ryan Blaney is coming off a dominating win at Atlanta two days ago. The 32-year-old Penske driver led 172 of the 263 laps and won both stages. The ‘man with the stache’ is 65 points behind Hamlin and is entering a favorable stretch. Ty Gibbs could also get into the Chase in the next couple of weeks. He is 126 points behind his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. The 23-year-old cannot lock a spot in at North Wilkesboro, but he could be locked in by the race at Iowa on August 9th. Carson Hocevar is back in eighth, but he has been on a tear lately. He finished third at Atlanta and 11th at Sonoma. Like the 54, ‘Hurricane’ could be in the Chase by Iowa.
All of these drivers are following behind Reddick and Hamlin, and the gap is pretty massive. Hamlin is a favorite to win the title, which would finally be his first in his 21st full-time season. Reddick was in a bit of a slump, but with an eighth-place finish at Atlanta, he may be back on track. A championship from him would be 23XI’s first Cup Series Championship in their sixth season, which would be the fourth-fastest a team has won a title since their inception in American sports history. Will the driver who lifts the Cup be either Reddick or Hamlin, or will someone like Blaney come in to spoil the party?
