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Tyler Reddick makes NASCAR history, more NASCAR COTA winners and losers

Tyler Reddick won the NASCAR COTA race on March 1. Here are the NASCAR COTA winners and losers.

Tyler Reddick makes NASCAR history, more NASCAR COTA winners and losers

Nick Gray, Nashville Tennessean

Mon, March 2, 2026 at 12:22 AM UTC·
4 min read

Tyler Reddick made NASCAR Cup Series history on March 1 at COTA.

Reddick became the first driver in NASCAR Cup history to win the first three races of the season after holding off Shane van Gisbergen to win the DuraMax Grand Prix.

The No. 45 led the field for most of the day, doing well to manage small gaps in front of Ryan Blaney and van Gisbergen over the final 60 laps.

Reddick's lead with 11 laps to go was measured in car lengths ahead of van Gisbergen, but the No. 45 pulled out to a 3.9-second margin of victory by the checkered flag.

Here are the winners and losers from the NASCAR COTA race:

COTA RESULTS: Who won the NASCAR Cup COTA race? Winner is Tyler Reddick, plus full results

AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 01: John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the #42 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota, (C) speaks to Kyle Busch, driver of the #8 Rebel Root Beer Whiskey Chevrolet, (R) backstage during pre-race ceremonies prior to the NASCAR Cup Series DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne at Circuit of The Americas on March 01, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)

AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 01: Noah Gragson, driver of the #4 Rush Truck Centers Ford, greets fans on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne at Circuit of The Americas on March 01, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)

AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 01: (L-R) Alex Bowman, driver of the #48 Ally Chevrolet, Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, and Erik Jones, driver of the #43 Dollar Tree Toyota, attend the drivers meeting prior to the NASCAR Cup Series DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne at Circuit of The Americas on March 01, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 01: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 National Debt Relief Toyota, looks on during the drivers meeting prior to the NASCAR Cup Series DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne at Circuit of The Americas on March 01, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 01: Josh Berry, driver of the #21 DEX Ford, (R) and Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, share a laugh during the drivers meeting prior to the NASCAR Cup Series DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne at Circuit of The Americas on March 01, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

NASCAR COTA race best photos from Texas, including Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin

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NASCAR COTA race best photos from Texas, including Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin

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NASCAR COTA race best photos from Texas, including Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin

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NASCAR COTA race best photos from Texas, including Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin

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NASCAR COTA race best photos from Texas, including Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin

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NASCAR COTA race best photos from Texas, including Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin

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NASCAR COTA race best photos from Texas, including Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin

NASCAR COTA winners and losers as Tyler Reddick wins again

Winner: Tyler Reddick

Tyler Reddick sat on the pole, led the most laps and held off the sport's best road-racer to win his third in a row.

"Wow," Reddick said on the radio after taking the checkered flag. "What a start."

I'll say. Reddick's lead in the points standings is already more than a full race to second and more than 100 points to the Chase cutline.

Co-owner Michael Jordan was at the track again and celebrated again with his 23XI Racing team. Jordan confirmed on the FOX broadcast that he'll be back in the pit lane next week at Phoenix.

Reddick's Phoenix track record isn't the best, with two finishes in the 20s there last year. But that's nothing a career-best hot streak can't fix.

Remember: Reddick went winless in 2025. This season is lining up to be the year of Reddick's racing life.

Winner: Ty Gibbs

Few drivers passed as many cars at COTA as Ty Gibbs did on March 1.

Gibbs stayed out when others pitted before the end of the second stage to win Stage 2, then drove back up the field after pitting during the stage break.

Gibbs put on new tires before the restart with less than 20 laps to go, driving from 17th to fourth in the final run for a top-5 finish.

The grandson of race team owner, Joe Gibbs, showed good speed all day long, and he needs to pile up these kinds of finishes. Easier said than done, but Gibbs has the equipment to be a factor like he was at COTA.

Loser: Alex Bowman

The driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has had an awful start to 2026.

Bowman opened by finishing 40th at Daytona and 23rd in Atlanta, involved in crashes in both drafting races.

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