Tyler Reddick’s next NASCAR record challenge...

Final yr, Christopher Bell grew to become the first driver in the Next Gen era (2022 onward) to win three consecutive Cup races, with Tyler Reddick just lately turning into the second. Nonetheless, Reddick is now the one driver within the 78-year historical past of NASCAR to win the primary three races of a brand new season, profitable two drafting tracks and a highway course.

Because the trendy period of NASCAR started in 1972, solely eight drivers have managed to win 4 consecutive Cup races and it is fairly a powerful record. All of these drivers have since been enshrined within the NASCAR Corridor of Fame, and 6 of them are Cup Sequence champions. It’s really elite firm.

Nonetheless, nobody has completed the feat in almost 20 years. Reddick’s highway right here has been no easy Sunday drive both, preventing to the very finish towards a number of drivers on his approach to capturing the checkered flag at Daytona, Atlanta and COTA. That, together with how shut the modern-day NASCAR subject is nowadays makes Reddick’s three-peat astoundingly spectacular.

At Daytona, he escaped two last-lap crashes, main a single lap to win the game’s greatest race. At Atlanta, he fought again from a late-race wreck, taking the lead in double extra time and hanging on regardless of lacking a whole fender. And at COTA, he needed to maintain again none aside from highway racing famous person Shane van Gisbergen within the closing laps.

So, if he does handle to proceed the win streak into Phoenix, listed here are the drivers he would be a part of and their very own paths to finishing the uncommon four-peat feat.

Cale Yarborough – 1976

Yarborough’s 4 wins got here in his first championship-winning season and it was considered one of full domination — main 200+ laps in every of the races he gained between September and October of that yr. It started on the Richmond quick monitor, warding off Bobby Allison by roughly a automotive size. However the margins of victory solely grew for every win that adopted. Onto Dover the place he beat Richard Petty by over seven seconds, after which doubled that margin to 14 seconds over Darrell Waltrip at Martinsville. He accomplished the unbelievable run at North Wilkesboro, profitable by a full lap over Benny Parsons and inserting an exclamation level on the finish of it.

Darrell Waltrip – 1981

Race winner Darrell Waltrip

Photograph by: NASCAR Media

Waltrip’s win streak got here across the identical time of yr and even coated two of the identical races as Yarborough. Humorous sufficient, it additionally got here with the identical crew as each had been driving the No. 11 for Junior Johnson. For Waltrip, it started at Martinsville with Harry Gant trailing him by 7.8 seconds on the end. He went to North Wilkesboro the place (like Yarborough) he beat his closest competitor – Bobby Allison – by over a lap. DW confronted off with Allison once more at Charlotte, profitable by almost a full lap with 31.8 seconds between them.

And eventually, Waltrip accomplished this uncommon four-peat at one other North Carolina monitor, as soon as once more warding off Allison on his approach to victory at Rockingham. Solely this time, Waltrip didn’t make the go for the win till simply 11 laps to go. And persevering with to comply with the instance set by Yarborough earlier than him, Waltrip ended the 1981 season by profitable his first of three NASCAR Cup Sequence titles.

Dale Earnhardt – 1987

Dale Earnhardt

Photograph by: NASCAR Media

Earnhardt’s spectacular win streak occurred a lot earlier within the season, however nonetheless not fairly as early as Reddick’s present run. As the game superior and the fields grew to become extra aggressive, ‘The Intimidator’ needed to battle a bit more durable than the earlier two names to tug this accomplishment off. It started at Darlington, passing Invoice Elliott as he dramatically ran out of gasoline by way of the ultimate set of corners on the white flag lap. He gained at North Wilkesboro the next week, holding Kyle Petty at bay within the closing laps with simply a few seconds between them. After besting the son, he then beat the daddy, Richard Petty, doing so by just below a second at Bristol. He completed it off at Martinsville, holding again rival Rusty Wallace on his approach to capturing the checkered flag. And sure, he went on to win the title that yr too.

Harry Gant – 1991

Harry Gant’s automotive within the NASCAR Corridor of Fame

Photograph by: David Jensen by way of Getty Photos

Gant is a novel identify amongst this group. He isn’t a champion, and he was over 50 years previous on the time of reaching this. Grant additionally has the excellence of being the oldest winner in Cup Sequence historical past, a file he secured one yr after this spectacular stretch when he was 52 years previous. This previous yr, he was elected to the NASCAR Corridor of Fame.

However in 1991, the person referred to as ‘Mr. September’ earned his nickname. He gained each race that month, starting with the Southern 500, beating Ernie Irvan by over ten seconds. At Richmond, he shadowed Davey Allison in a spirited battle earlier than lastly finishing the go with simply 18 laps to go. His Dover victory was a bit extra simple, dominating the occasion and beating runner-up Geoff Bodine by over a lap. Nonetheless, the fourth win didn’t come as simple as Gant really crashed late within the race. He was turned from the lead and suffered important harm to the nostril of the automotive (significantly the precise entrance fender). Undeterred, he (like Reddick at Atlanta) charged again by way of the sphere, taking the lead from Brett Bodine with 46 laps remaining and profitable anyway.

Invoice Elliott – 1992

Alan Kulwicki battles with Invoice Elliott

Photograph by: Nigel Kinrade Pictures

Within the second race of the yr at Rockingham, Elliott cruised to victory over Davey Allison. Nonetheless, the streak almost didn’t ever attain two after a really sensational end at Richmond. Elliott gained in an exhilarating picture end over Alan Kulwicki with virtually nothing between the 2 vehicles on the checkered flag. He didn’t should sweat almost as a lot at Atlanta, profitable by over 18 seconds, whereas Gant completed a distant second. He beat Gant once more the next week as he accomplished the four-peat at Darlington, taking the lead late and driving away with the win.

Mark Martin – 1993

#6 Mark Martin Valvoline Ford

Photograph by: Jasen Vinlove / NKP / Motorsport Photos

Martin’s win streak started at Watkins Glen, inheriting the race lead solely after Kyle Petty and Dale Earnhardt crashed dramatically by way of the esses. He then took a reasonably simple victory over Morgan Shepherd at Michigan earlier than having an actual battle on his arms at Bristol. Martin ran Rusty Wallace down by way of slower visitors, cleanly reducing below him and taking the lead with simply 12 laps to go. Wallace remained glued to his rear bumper for the remainder of the race, by no means giving him a second to loosen up. Martin’s fourth win got here on the Southern 500 at Darlington, denying Brett Bodine as he accomplished the four-peat.

Jeff Gordon

Photograph by: Robert Kurtycz

In the summertime of 1998, the enduring No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was a power of nature. Gordon gained 13 of 33 races that yr, however it was between the 18th and twenty first rounds of the yr the place he managed to win 4 consecutively. It started at Pocono, beating Mark Martin to the road by simply over a second after a dominant displaying. Gordon then bested Martin once more, this time within the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, hanging on regardless of a late-race yellow bringing the sphere again to his rear bumper. At Watkins Glen, Gordon handed Mike Skinner for the lead with 4 laps to go, and as soon as once more, Martin adopted him throughout the road in second after passing Skinner as effectively. Martin shadowed Gordon all through this whole summer season stretch and once they arrived at Michigan, it was none aside from Martin who Gordon needed to go for the win with lower than 10 laps to go. Nonetheless, the then-Roush driver didn’t find yourself second this time as Bobby Labonte and Dale Jarrett battled round him, permitting Gordon to sneak away.

Race winner Jimmie Johnson celebrates

Photograph by: Motorsport.com / ASP Inc.

Prior to now 30 years, it’s no shock that the one two drivers to have completed this spectacular feat are two titans of HMS. The newest driver to tug it off was Johnson, proper in the midst of his unprecedented run of 5 consecutive NASCAR Cup Sequence titles (earlier than profitable seven whole). His victories got here on the very finish of the season, blowing the championship battle large open (regardless of the Chase format) as he crushed the competitors.

He held on towards Ryan Newman and his teammate Gordon at Martinsville with out a lot of a problem, however the next week at Atlanta was a really completely different story. He was operating fifth with simply ten laps to go, however an unbelievable pit cease below warning vaulted him into second on monitor. Denny Hamlin stayed out, however ran out of gasoline coming to the restart zone. Johnson was in a position to keep away from him as others crashed, occurring to take the victory forward of Carl Edwards. After which it was onto Texas the place Johnson confirmed up proper close to the top. Dissimilar to lots of the victories talked about on this record, Johnson led single digit laps in two of his 4 victories, however at all times managed to place himself into an ideal place when the checkered flag loomed. At Texas, he ran down Matt Kenseth and took the lead with simply two laps remaining in your complete race. He ended his run at Phoenix, taking the lead from Martin Truex Jr. with simply 23 laps left and in the end holding off Greg Biffle to formally win 4 in a row.

The duty forward of Reddick

Now, current historical past tells us simply how onerous profitable 4 consecutive Cup races may be on this trendy age. It’s already been a dogfight for Reddick to succeed in three, and several other different stars have been on this identical place however failed to succeed in 4. Each Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski gained three consecutive races in 2018, however neither of those Cup champions might prolong the streak to 4. In that very same yr, Kevin Harvick did it earlier than a mid-race wreck at Fontana denied him a shot at 4. Kyle Larson gained three consecutive TWICE throughout the 2021 season and nonetheless couldn’t proceed it, though he was agonizingly close at Pocono before a sudden blown tire in the final corner tire robbed him of the win. Joey Logano gained a whole three-race spherical throughout the 2015 playoffs, however a vengeful Matt Kenseth crashed him out of the lead at Martinsville and likewise denied him an opportunity at 4. And most just lately, Christopher Bell gained three consecutive races one yr in the past, earlier than it ended with a Twelfth-place end in Vegas.

NASCAR heads to Phoenix Raceway this weekend, which is nice information for Reddick because it’s a extra simple race than a few of these wildcard occasions at drafting tracks or highway programs. If he has the tempo, he can be a menace. Nonetheless, Reddick can also be 0-12 at Phoenix with a pair of third-place finishes being his finest consequence. Final yr throughout his winless season, he positioned twentieth and twenty sixth within the two Phoenix races, however he additionally led probably the most laps in a Phoenix race as just lately as 2024.

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