Seven races down within the 2026 NASCAR Cup Sequence season, and we’ve got considerably of an concept of who shall be contesting for the championship when The Chase begins in September.
On the prime of the Cup Sequence standings sit Tyler Reddick (already with 4 wins this season), adopted by Ryan Blaney, who snagged his first checkered flag of the season at Phoenix Raceway.
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Whereas the 2 drivers are undoubtedly quick throughout green-flag motion, the identical can’t be stated to date for his or her respective pit crews. Let’s dive into the place the No. 12 and No. 45 pit crews rank to date and what it may imply for Blaney and Reddick’s hopes at hoisting the Cup Sequence trophy in November.
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The aforementioned pace for each Blaney and Reddick is simple when wanting on the numbers. In line with NASCAR Insights, each drivers rank inside the highest 5 in passing, pace and restarts. Particularly, Reddick charts second in passing, second in pace and fifth in restarts. Blaney tops the board amongst Cup drivers in passing and pace, and ranks fourth on restarts.
The standalone pace has translated into sturdy outcomes, with each successful 4 mixed instances within the first seven races and holding the highest two spots in factors.
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The place troubles have turn out to be obvious have been on pit street. Pivotal to success on Sundays, the No. 12 and No. 45 have struggled to offer clear stops to provide their drivers advantageous monitor place, forcing their wheelman to actually drive their automobiles tougher to make up spots.
Put up-Martinsville, the No. 45 pit crew ranks twenty first, whereas the No. 12 crew sits at thirty fifth — second worst of all title-eligible drivers, solely forward of the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing crew.
Neither groups have been all that good at Martinsville. Reddick’s crew was 18th on the Virginia brief monitor, and Blaney’s crew was twenty fifth.
The largest shock of all is that NASCAR Insights lists Blaney with the worst common four-tire cease in Cup this season, with a time of 12.89 seconds. To match, Christopher Bell has the quickest four-tire cease on common at 10.18 seconds. Errors compiled for the No. 12 workforce at Phoenix, which Blaney was capable of overcome and win, and most not too long ago at Darlington, the place the workforce had a and wanted to pit in a teammate’s stall to get it tightened.
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As we’ve seen in previous years, championships have come right down to execution on pit street — consider 2019 when the No. 19 crew gave Martin Truex Jr. the mistaken tires and the No. 11 workforce slapped on a comical quantity of tape to Denny Hamlin’s grille that value the engine to overheat. After all, there’s Hamlin’s heartbreak from the Phoenix title race final 12 months, the place crew chief Chris Gayle opted for a four-tire cease, whereas Kyle Larson and the No. 5 workforce took two tires and entered that race because the No. 1 pit crew, in line with NASCAR Insights. Larson finally went on to complete forward of Hamlin on the brief run to the checkered flag to win his second championship.
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Whereas The Chase eliminates the one-race showdown for the title, pit street will nonetheless be an enormous think about crowning a champion. If Blaney and Reddick wish to solidify bids as championship favorites, they’ll want their crews to match their uncooked pace.
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 15: Tyler Reddick, driver of the #45 Chumba On line casino Toyota, exits pit street through the NASCAR Cup Sequence Daytona 500 at Daytona Worldwide Speedway on February 15, 2026 in Daytona Seaside, Florida. (Picture by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Photos)
