KANSAS CITY, Kan. \u2014 Tyler Reddick and Michael Jordan seemingly just can\u2019t lose in 2026.<\/p>\n
Reddick won for an astounding fifth time in the opening nine races of the NASCAR Cup Series season on Sunday at Kansas Speedway, taking advantage of an overtime restart to steal what seemed like a sure victory from Denny Hamlin \u2014 the 23XI Racing co-owner, who fields Reddick\u2019s car along with Jordan while also driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.<\/p>\n
While Hamlin was furious with how the end of the race unfolded, Jordan saw it as an opportunity for smack talk, later walking down pit road to playfully rub Hamlin\u2019s head after waving the checkered flag on the frontstretch.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, I\u2019m racing against Denny. I really wanted to beat him because I know we\u2019re going to talk a lot of trash a little bit later,\u201d Jordan said. \u201c\u2026 (Reddick) is on fire. I don\u2019t know if I can cool him down. He is unbelievable. Unbelievable last couple laps. I\u2019m proud of the whole team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hamlin led a race-high 131 laps but finished a frustrating fourth in overtime, which was triggered when Cody Ware\u2019s 37th-place car suddenly spun out just before the race ended. That allowed second-place Reddick and the rest of the field to get another crack at him, and the race turned on its head.<\/p>\n
On the ensuing overtime restart, Kyle Larson got control of the race when he made it three-wide and put Hamlin in the middle, then cleared everyone. But Larson\u2019s car got tight heading into Turn 3, and Reddick made a spirited push, ultimately passing Larson before the checkered flag waved.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust really blessed with the late caution. Was that nuts or what? I couldn\u2019t believe it,\u201d Reddick said. \u201c\u2026 Man, these late race restarts get crazy. I obviously had a run on the 5. I was shocked I was able to get to his inside there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Larson finished second, with Chase Briscoe third after he restarted 11th with fresh tires.<\/p>\n
Reddick became the first driver to win at least five of the first nine races since Dale Earnhardt in 1987. He now has a 105-point lead in the standings over second-place Hamlin.<\/p>\n
![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/04\/19191406\/GettyImages-2272107937.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n Michael Jordan celebrates with the checkered flag after Tyler Reddick\u2019s win Sunday in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway. (Sean Gardner \/ Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n These 1.5-mile tracks like Kansas represent four of this fall\u2019s Chase races (Kansas, Las Vegas, Charlotte, Homestead) plus Darlington as another intermediate in the same category.<\/p>\n That means such circuits are crucial tests to see who is closest to championship form, and it has seemed like an advantage for the two biggest organizations \u2014 Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing.<\/p>\n But 23XI\u2019s continued strength on a variety of circuits, like the speed it showed at Kansas on Sunday, is an indicator that Reddick and teammate Bubba Wallace (eighth in the standings) could be disruptors.<\/p>\n The team fielded four cars on Sunday (also including Riley Herbst and Corey Heim), with all of them finishing inside the top 15.<\/p>\n \u201c23XI, all the guys drove well today,\u201d Jordan said. \u201cAll four cars in the top 15. That says a lot about the program.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Jeff Gluck<\/em><\/p>\n Kyle Busch\u2019s early-season performance, or lack thereof, was a talking point throughout the week, and Sunday did little to change the narrative surrounding the current state of Busch\u2019s No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team. After battling multiple tire issues and falling a lap down in Stage 1, things continued to snowball from there.<\/p>\n Busch began experiencing what he thought was a brake-related issue toward the end of Stage 2, yet despite making multiple pit stops in an attempt to diagnose and fix the problem, the team could not identify what was hindering its driver. The problem was something else, much deeper. And when the race resumed, things further unraveled.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething\u2019s broke,\u201d Busch radioed his team, \u201cthis thing ain\u2019t even close to what it was.\u201d<\/p>\n Busch finished 35th, the ninth time in nine races this season where he\u2019s failed to finish inside the top 10, a career-worst start to a season. And what has to be concerning is that RCR is in a performance tailspin that has the team reeling.<\/p>\n \u2014 Jordan Bianchi<\/em><\/p>\n At a track where Ross Chastain won in the Next Gen car less than two years ago, in the fall of 2024, Trackhouse continued to show signs of major struggles this season.<\/p>\n Chastain was 26th, Connor Zilisch finished 29th and Shane van Gisbergen was 36th as the Chevrolet team had another startlingly slow performance.<\/p>\n In 10 Kansas races since his full-time Cup career began, Chastain had never finished outside of the top 20. But he was never in the ballpark after qualifying 26th and still has just one top-15 finish in the first nine races of this season.<\/p>\n In a media session on Saturday, Chastain said his cars just have no grip and he\u2019s sliding around the track at intermediates. They\u2019re trying to \u201cmove the grip needle out of the red,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the grip is there, all three of us will go fast,\u201d Chastain said. \u201cWe\u2019re all three fully capable of pushing the gas pedal.\u201d<\/p>\n By the halfway point of the race, all three Trackhouse cars had been lapped twice.<\/p>\n Chastain is 20th in points and van Gisbergen, who had been on the Chase cutoff line, fell two spots to 18th.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see what we have,\u201d Chastain said Saturday. \u201cThe Band-Aid is off. We\u2019re trying.\u201d<\/p>\n23XI in the mix<\/h2>\n
Kyle Busch\u2019s season of misery continues<\/h2>\n
Trackhouse struggling<\/h2>\n