23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick may not have won a NASCAR Cup Series race since April, when he reached victory lane at Talladega Superspeedway, but he entered Michigan International Speedway as arguably the best driver in the series.

The driver of the No. 45 Toyota had finished in the top six six times in a row and in the top eight nine times in the last ten races. He had fought his way up to second place in the points, putting him within striking distance of the leaders.

Reddick entered the FireKeepers Casino 400 five points behind the leader and returned to winning ways in Michigan, taking the lead in the points standings for the first time in his Cup Series career.

Reddick holds a 10-point lead over Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott. Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, who entered the FireKeepers Casino 400 as the leader, fell to fourth place, 32 points behind, after an accident. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, co-owner of the team Reddick competes for, is in third place, 28 points behind.

Reddick is one of eight drivers who have led the standings at some point this season. Elliott, Hamlin and Larson are among the others, as are the drivers who are fifth and sixth in the standings, Ryan Blaney of Team Penske and William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports. Those drivers have all won this year.

Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch of Richard Childress Racing are the other two drivers who have led the point standings at some point this year.

Neither has won a race in 2024, but Truex’s provisional playoff spot is relatively secure as he sits 8th in the points standings. Busch, on the other hand, is 19th in the playoff standings and needs a win with two races remaining in the regular season at Daytona International Speedway and Darlington Raceway.

The battle for the regular season championship is significant in and of itself, and it is also significant because of its impact on the playoffs.

The regular season champion will receive 15 additional playoff points, equivalent to winning three races, before the four-round, 10-race postseason begins. The runner-up will receive 10 points, so the difference between the two will be equivalent to winning a full race.

The third-place finisher receives eight playoff points and that total decreases by one point per position down to the driver who finishes 10th.

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