Reddick joins prestigious group with hot start

Tyler Reddick became just the sixth driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win the first two races of the season on Sunday. He suffered significant right front damage to his Toyota, but still managed to pull out the win at Atlanta. After his wins on the drafting tracks at Daytona and Atlanta, the driver of the No. 45 Toyota will try to keep the momentum going at the Circuit of the Americas road course this weekend. Reddick and his 23XI teammate Bubba Wallace left Sunday 1-2 in the Cup Series standings. Reddick gave a nod to the action at Atlanta which produced 57 lead changes. While a drafting track, it's a race more in the drivers' hands than Daytona or Talladega. "That's crazy isn't it. This place over the years – it just puts on some amazing racing," Reddick said in the post-race. "Handling matters here but, I guess determination outweighs handling." Now, he joins a prestigious group of drivers to win the first two races of a season. The list includes three Cup Series champions. Five drivers previously went back-to-back to open the season. The first was Marvin Panch, who won on the Willow Springs, California road course and the Concord, N.C., dirt track in 1957. Panch went on to finish second to Buck Baker in the series points that season. Two years later, Bob Welborn won the 1/3-mile short track in Fayetteville, N.C., and then captured a Daytona qualifier when it was considered an official victory. Known more for being a three-time champion of the old NASCAR Convertible Series, Welborn ran a limited schedule. The legendary "Silver Fox" David Pearson was the next to do it in 1976. He first won on the Riverside, Calif., road course. Next was the legendary Daytona 500 when his battered No. 21 Mercury crossed the finish line at 30 mph after a crash with Richard Petty coming to the checkered flag. Pearson also ran a limited schedule with the Wood Brothers team, concentrating many on the superspeedways. It wasn't until 1997 when Jeff Gordon won at Daytona and Rockingham that a driver again won the first two races. It was the height of Gordon's prowess in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He won 10 races and the series championship that season. Interestingly, Gordon only qualified on the pole one time that season, compared to multiple pole positions for Mark Martin, Bobby Labonte, Dale Jarrett, Ken Schrader, Ernie Irvan and Bobby Hamilton. The most recent driver before Reddick to accomplish the feat was Matt Kenseth in 2009. Kenseth, in the No. 17 Roush Racing Ford, won the Daytona 500 and followed up with a win at California Speedway. Despite the strong start, Kenseth didn't win again that season and finished 14th in the year-end points. LONESOME PINE RACEWAY On the local front, there is more exciting news coming out of Coeburn, Virginia with Lonesome Pine Raceway. Track owner Joey Owens had the 3/8-mile asphalt oval repaved during the offseason. Last week, they announced the purses for each class championship. It's a $50,000 total payout with $10,000 for the Limited Late Model champion and $8,000 for the Late Model champion. It goes down to $2,000 for the Stock FWD and Crown Vic classes. The track posted on Facebook that the purse could go up based on sponsorship. The season's first twin Limited Late Model races on May 2 feature a $5,000 purse or $2,500 for each race. This seems to be a great time for racing on the paved tracks within the region. Kingsport Speedway had a lot of interest in its NASCAR Local Series program at Saturday's show at the Mall at Johnson City. Newport Speedway has come on strong since re-opening in 2024 and is set to host a pair of IHRA Stock Car Series races in 2026. IHRA Owner Darryl Cuttell is leasing Pulaski County Motorsports Park with the IHRA Stock Car Series season opener set for the Fairlawn, Va., track on March 21.