Christopher Bell set NASCAR on fire in 2025, winning three straight races at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Circuit of the Americas, and Phoenix Raceway. For a stretch, he could do no wrong. But as often happens in sports, the well soon ran dry. It took 24 races for him to get back to Victory Lane, and ultimately, he finished fifth in the standings. Kevin Harvick believes Tyler Reddick could be in for a similar story this year.
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With three straight wins to open the season, Reddick and the No. 45 23XI Racing team head to Phoenix looking to make it four in a row. In the past 30 years, only Harry Gant in 1991 and Jimmie Johnson in 2007 have pulled off four consecutive Cup Series victories. Reddick stands on the doorstep of that company.
Harvick, however, offered a note of caution. Speaking on his Happy Hour podcast, Harvick said momentum can be both wind at a driver’s back and a trap door beneath his feet.
“Momentum is a real thing in our sport. And when you have that, things just happen easier. But you better ride that wave while you had it. We saw Christopher Bell win three in a row last year. This is not abnormal. It’s abnormal that you win the first three,” he said.
“And when you start the season, sometimes you just have that momentum going. And it can be a great thing. But it can also be a bad thing because everybody else is working while you’re riding the wave of momentum and the details and preparation that you have in your cars already that everybody else might not.”
“And sometimes you get, we saw it happen to Bell last year, they kind of got stagnant and didn’t perform like they needed to in the summer because they just, they didn’t do a good job of keeping up with the progression of trying to get better,” Harvick added.
Tyler Reddick and 23XI Racing are ROLLING. @KevinHarvick says momentum is both good and bad for a NASCAR team. pic.twitter.com/PmM3Myzy5J
— HarvickHappyHour (@HarvickHappyPod) March 3, 2026
For now, the pieces are falling into place for Reddick, along with Denny Hamlin, Michael Jordan, and the 23XI group. When results stack up, the game can feel simple. The pit stops go seamlessly, strategy lands, passes happen, and breaks go the driver’s way.
Still, clearing the next hurdle will require more than just riding the wave. Since 2007, eight drivers have won three straight races and failed to seal a fourth. That history hangs in the air as Reddick rolls into Phoenix. His Toyota has shown speed, and he has put himself in a position to contend again. The question is whether he can keep his foot on the gas and avoid the lull that tripped Bell last year.
Even if the streak stops at three, the larger goal remains. If Reddick continues to cash in wins through the season and avoids a long drought, he can sidestep the fate that shadowed Bell and keep his title hopes very much alive till the end.
