Tyler Reddick did it again on Sunday at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), becoming the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win the first three races of a season. Even 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin is amazed by what he is seeing, saying the quiet part out loud about Reddick following the race.
While Reddick continues to be disrespected with only the seventh-best odds to win the championship, despite his three-peat to begin the season, he and 23XI Racing are not the only organization off to an excellent start to the 2026 season.
Spire Motorsports is the only multi-car team in the garage with each of its drivers inside the top 10 of the standings through three races. Daniel Suarez (seventh), Michael McDowell (ninth) and Carson Hocevar (10th) find themselves inside the provisional Chase field, which is not something even a lot of the usual contenders can say at the moment.
To be fair, Daytona International Speedway, EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta), and COTA are far from the traditional layouts the series is scheduled to visit over the next several months. However, for an organization that only has one Cup Series win (Justin Haley at Daytona, July 2019), this is a notable early development, regardless of the tracks.
Spire Motorsports an early surprise in 2026
Since the drop of the green flag in the Daytona 500, the speed in the Spire Motorsports Chevrolets has been evident. While Suarez has not yet led a lap, he followed up a solid 13th at Daytona with a fifth place showing in Atlanta. He finished a disappointing 25th at COTA, but he picked up eight stage points to at least salvage something in the Lone Star State.
McDowell was 20th or worse each of the first two races, but he nearly benefited from a brilliant strategy call from crew chief Travis Peterson to win the Daytona 500. A fifth place finish and five laps led at COTA finally put the No. 71 team where it deserved to finish, taking advantage of the speed.
Then there's Hocevar, who had a chance to win the preseason Cook Out Clash exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium before a late crash and was leading at the white flag at Daytona before fading to 18th. He had an off day at COTA in 31st after placing fourth in Atlanta, but he continues to be in the spotlight with his aggressiveness and appears poised for his first Cup Series win sooner rather than later.
Sunday's race at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona is setting up to be the first true test of the season for Spire Motorsports, and they showed speed there a year ago with their best ever qualifying performance.
With intermediate tracks such as Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway looming as well, you would expect the usual teams to flex their muscle and score enough points to take care of themselves.
For starters, William Byron (13th), Kyle Larson (15th), Hamlin (23rd), Christopher Bell (24th) and Chase Briscoe (27th) should only be expected to move up the standings and compete for wins in the weeks ahead. However, that should not take away from what Spire Motorsports has done so far.
More traditional ovals should provide a better indicator of where the organization is at, but with Suarez showing good signs early in his first season with the team, McDowell's experience, and Hocevar's aggressiveness, there is a lot to like about Spire Motorsports right now. All eyes will be on them at Phoenix to see if they can keep the momentum rolling.