‘Fortunate’ Tyler Reddick Explains Fuel Scare After Historic Kansas Win

Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

‘Fortunate’ Tyler Reddick Explains Fuel Scare After Historic Kansas Win

Originally posted on RFKRacingDigest
By Sanskriti Pastor | Last updated Apr 21, 2026 2:48 AM ET

Tyler Reddick’s historic 2026 season in the NASCAR Cup Series continued at Kansas Speedway. He secured his fifth victory in nine races behind the wheel of the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota. It didn’t come easy because of an unexpected fuel issue in the closing stages and a late caution that sent the race into overtime.

Fortunately, the caution brought out by Cody Ware’s spin played into Tyler Reddick’s hands, allowing him to pit for two tires and fuel. Eventually, the battle for the win came down to Reddick and Kyle Larson, whose overtake on the restart in OT made race leader Denny Hamlin lose a few places. On the last lap, Reddick got the slipstream and overtook Larson into Turn 3.

The 23XI Racing driver recently spoke about the win with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. He explained that the fuel issue distracted him to the point where he almost wrecked on the track.

“If we truly were short on fuel with how many laps there were left, we were going to have to make the tough choice of pitting. So by the time I got that information, I just missed my marks, drove straight into the fence. So, fortunately gave the lead back to the 11 (Hamlin), but we were just very fortunate and caught a caution.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (@siriusxmnascar)

When asked about the final showdown in overtime and what it took to hunt down Larson, Reddick replied:

“Just had to commit to the move, and thankfully, you know we were able to make it. You know, it just seemed like made the move at the right time to be able to get clear of him into three, and just yeah, it’s tough. You know, you have a matter of seconds decide how you’re going to get into the corner if you’re going to clear him or not, and we just did it right.”

Tyler Reddick Matches Decades-Old Dale Earnhardt Record

Tyler Reddick made history by winning the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas. He became the first driver since Dale Earnhardt in 1987 to have five victories in the opening nine races. Such a stat is a big deal in this era because the Next Gen cars are aimed at creating parity among drivers and making this kind of win percentage hard to achieve.

After the race, Reddick shared his feelings about being named in the same sentence as the legendary Dale Earnhardt.

“Yeah, that’s a guy on the Mount Rushmore of NASCAR drivers,” Reddick said. “To be able to accomplish things that someone like him did is truly incredible, but none of it’s possible without the good men and women at 23XI — the ones that travel, the one back at Airspeed.”

Reddick has now won 56 percent of the races so far this season. Apart from historical significance, the win has given him a massive 105-point lead over second-placed Denny Hamlin in the standings.

This article first appeared on RFKRacingDigest and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: