Tyler Reddick grabbed pole at Circuit of The Americas on Feb. 28, giving 23XI Racing the best possible starting spot for Sunday’s DuraMAX Texas grand prix Powered by RelaDyne. Reddick turned the weekend’s fastest lap — a 97.76-second tour of COTA’s 17-turn, 2.4-mile National Course — at an average speed of 88.380 mph. It’s the 12th Cup pole of his career and his third at this track.
Ross Chastain will roll off beside him after posting an 88.256 mph lap (97.897 seconds). The top five was tight: Chase Briscoe qualified third (88.242 mph, 97.913s), Ryan Blaney fourth (88.179 mph, 97.982s) and Chase Elliott fifth (88.161 mph, 98.002s). Christopher bell, last year’s winner here, starts eighth — a position that could see him hunting through the field when the laps wind down.
Not every headline driver found the sweet spot in qualifying. Shane van Gisbergen, one of the season’s hottest road-course performers, will begin 13th. Rookie Connor Zilisch ran 25th (87.365 mph, 98.895s), and Brad Keselowski sits 26th (87.346 mph, 98.917s). RFK Racing has Joey Hand on standby as a reserve if a relief driver is ever needed.
COTA is a track that rewards balance: braking stability, corner-exit speed and tyre conservation all matter. Reddick’s pole lap suggested 23XI dialed in a setup that could marry single-lap pace with race durability — but the abrasive surface and 17 tricky turns mean tyre management and pit timing will still be decisive.
That strategic chess match will be amplified by NASCAR’s format and the weekend’s data. Support races — including the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Focused Health 250 and IMSA’s VP Racing SportsCar Challenge — produced telemetry and tyre-behavior information teams will study closely. VP’s P3 class winner Wyatt Brichacek and his class rivals, plus the focused rubber data from the support events, will feed into final race plans.
There’s a subplot with historical weight: if Reddick converts pole to victory, he could become the first Cup driver to win the first three races of a season. Several greats have started a year 2-for-2 only to fall short of a three-peat, so the rarity of such a start hangs over Sunday’s race and will influence how aggressively teams chase the win versus securing points.
Race-day logistics: the 95-lap DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix starts Sunday at 2:30 p.m. CT. Broadcast coverage is on FOX and HBO Max, with radio coverage via PRN and SiriusXM. Officials say final inspections and any penalties will be announced before the green flag, so starting positions or pit penalties could still change.
All told, Reddick has the advantage of clean air and track position, but COTA’s layout rewards smart tyre work and well-timed pit calls. Expect teams to juggle aggression and conservation, and watch for late-race strategy swings to shuffle the order.