23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick predicted that Sunday's Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway would probably be a struggle for the No. 45 team, which entered the afternoon having won four of the first six races on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
He was right.
Reddick's non-wins this season thus far were an eighth place effort at Phoenix Raceway and a 13th place effort at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. At Martinsville, he only finished in a season-worst 15th, although he picked up some stage points with stage results of ninth and seventh.
Tyler Reddick's points lead shrinks at Martinsville
After entering the 400-lap race around the four-turn, 0.526-mile (0.847-kilometer) Ridgeway, Virginia oval with a 95-point lead in the standings, that lead has dropped to 82.
Team Penske's Ryan Blaney finished sixth after placing seventh and fourth in the first two stages to take 13 points out of Reddick's lead. Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin is now 94 points behind after winning the first two stages and finishing the race in second.
Race winner Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports moved up to fourth in the standings and trails Reddick by 104 points, even after scoring zero stage points.
All things considered, the fact that Reddick can leave one of his and his team's worst race tracks with an 82-point advantage is a massive plus. The series has off this weekend for Easter, and even though the next race at Bristol Motor Speedway is also a short track race, Reddick is guaranteed to leave the "Last Great Colosseum" atop the points chart as well.
Had NASCAR not boosted the value of wins from 40 to 55 points this past offseason, Reddick would still be out front, but by only 37 points over Blaney. That would still be a significant gap, with only 40 points on offer for race winners, but the lead would be at risk heading into Bristol.
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