Tyler Reddick trying to balance celebrating historic season without being left behind

Tyler Reddick has every reason to celebrate the quarter of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. 

The Cup Series points leader won the Daytona 500, became the first driver to ever win the first three races of a season and became the first driver since Dale Earnhardt in 1987 to win five of the first nine races of a Cup Series campaign. 

But in the 38-week grind of NASCAR Cup Series racing, you can only celebrate for so long before looking ahead to the next race. 

Tyler Reddick employing a balancing act

"The things that have happened this year, from the 500, to the three [wins] in a row, five out of nine, all of it is just truly crazy," Reddick told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Wednesday. "You try and soak these moments in. I feel like we're doing a really good job of enjoying the moment, but it's so important to get your head back in the game early and quick for the next week.

"If you're busy celebrating, somebody else is getting ready, and they're going to be more prepared than you. It's a tricky balance."

Reddick will look for his sixth win of the 2026 season at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, Fox). He won the Talladega spring race in 2024 and carries a 105-point lead over Denny Hamlin into the 10th race of the season, ensuring he'll still be the points leader no matter what happens at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.