Tyler Reddick earned the Busch Light Pole Award for the 2026 DuraMax Texas Grand Prix held at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, February 28. This pole marks Reddick’s first of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season and his third overall at COTA, boosting his total career poles to twelve.
The qualifying format divided the 37 entrants into two groups, each allotted 20 minutes to record their fastest lap. After both sessions, the driver with the quickest lap time between the groups claimed the pole. Reddick, competing in the second qualifying group, delivered the best lap of the day at 88.380 mph with a time of 97.760 seconds, securing the front spot for Sunday’s race.
Qualifying Run and Recent Performance Highlights
Reddick, who began Saturday’s practice session ranked 19th fastest, turned in a strong qualifying effort to claim the pole. Driving the No. 45 Chumba Casino/23XI Racing Toyota Camry XSE, he looks to capitalize on his strong momentum after back-to-back wins to start the season at the Daytona 500 and Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway. These victories positioned him as the driver to beat this weekend at COTA.
This race presents an opportunity for Reddick, a Corning, California native, to become the first NASCAR driver in history to win the first three scheduled events of a Cup Series season.
I, maybe, should have called my shot earlier, but some pressure comes with that,
Reddick said.
I love going fast and road courses are a lot of fun in qualifying. Just proud of everyone’s effort here at 23XI [Racing]. Our Chumba Casino Toyota Camry was fast at Daytona and it seems fast here to start this one off. I don’t know where Shane [van Gisbergen] is starting,
he continued,
but just got to try and get as much of a head start on him as I can and try to stay ahead of him all day.
?Tyler Reddick, NASCAR Cup Series driver
Strong Competition Lining Up Behind Reddick
Sharing the front row with Reddick is Ross Chastain, who recorded a fastest qualifying lap of 88.256 mph in 97.897 seconds and captured his first Cup victory at COTA in 2022. Close behind, the top five starters include Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott. Michael McDowell was fastest in the practice session and the initial qualifying group, securing the sixth starting spot.
The rest of the top 10 includes AJ Allmendinger, reigning COTA winner Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs, and William Byron, rounding out a competitive grid. All 37 drivers who participated in qualifying made the starting lineup for the race.
Complete Starting Grid and Times
1. Tyler Reddick – 88.380 mph, 97.760 seconds
2. Ross Chastain – 88.256 mph, 97.897 seconds
3. Chase Briscoe – 88.242 mph, 97.913 seconds
4. Ryan Blaney – 88.179 mph, 97.982 seconds
5. Chase Elliott – 88.161 mph, 98.002 seconds
6. Michael McDowell – 88.031 mph, 98.147 seconds
7. AJ Allmendinger – 88.027 mph, 98.152 seconds
8. Christopher Bell – 87.980 mph, 98.204 seconds
9. Ty Gibbs – 87.931 mph, 98.259 seconds
10. William Byron – 87.822 mph, 98.381 seconds
11. Zane Smith – 87.798 mph, 98.408 seconds
12. Carson Hocevar – 87.749 mph, 98.463 seconds
13. Shane van Gisbergen – 87.748 mph, 98.464 seconds
14. Chris Buescher – 87.719 mph, 98.497 seconds
15. Kyle Larson – 87.703 mph, 98.514 seconds
16. Alex Bowman – 87.678 mph, 98.542 seconds
17. Todd Gilliland – 87.661 mph, 98.562 seconds
18. Cole Custer – 87.661 mph, 98.562 seconds
19. Denny Hamlin – 87.612 mph, 98.617 seconds
20. Joey Logano – 87.560 mph, 98.675 seconds
21. Ty Dillon – 87.474 mph, 98.772 seconds
22. Josh Berry – 87.443 mph, 98.807 seconds
23. Daniel Suarez – 87.418 mph, 98.836 seconds
24. Bubba Wallace – 87.416 mph, 98.838 seconds
25. Connor Zilisch – 87.365 mph, 98.895 seconds
26. Brad Keselowski – 87.346 mph, 98.917 seconds
27. Jesse Loe – 87.276 mph, 98.996 seconds
28. Austin Cindric – 87.265 mph, 99.009 seconds
29. Ryan Preece – 87.201 mph, 99.082 seconds
30. Kyle Busch – 87.132 mph, 99.160 seconds
31. John Hunter Nemechek – 87.032 mph, 99.274 seconds
32. Riley Herbst – 86.893 mph, 99.433 seconds
33. Austin Dillon – 86.610 mph, 99.757 seconds
34. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 86.590 mph, 99.781 seconds
35. Noah Gragson – 86.523 mph, 99.858 seconds
36. Erik Jones – 86.450 mph, 99.942 seconds
37. Cody Ware – 86.345 mph, 100.064 seconds
Upcoming Race and Broadcast Information
The 2026 DuraMax Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas is scheduled for Sunday, March 1, with the green flag dropping at 3:30 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the race on FOX or listen via PRN Radio and SiriusXM. HBO MAX will also stream the event live.
