HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 27: Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing and … [+]
Michael Jordan is one step closer to becoming a championship-winning Nascar team owner in just his fourth year in the role.
Jordan, who co-owns 23XI Racing with Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, was escatic at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday evening. That’s because Tyler Reddick, driver of the team’s No. 45 Toyota, soared past Hamlin in the final corner to take home the victory and lock himself in the Championship 4. It’s the first time in Reddick’s career and in 23XI Racing’s history that the team will be fighting for a championship at Phoenix Raceway.
“Little kid drove his ass off. I’m proud of him,” Jordan told NBC Sports on pit road after the race. “Oh, man, he just let go. He just went for it and I’m glad. We needed it. We needed it.”
Reddick’s triumph at Homestead is his third win of the season. He won two races last year, but finished sixth in the standings. Now, the fifth-year Cup Series racer has a chance to become one of just six drivers to win both Cup and Xfinity Series championships, joining the likes of Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick and Bobby Labonte.
Though Jordan never won the NBA championship when he owned the Charlotte Hornets from 2010-23, he is determined to do so in Nascar.
“To be able to reward him with the days like we had today, it’s a true honor,” Reddick said of Jordan. “It was really cool to see how happy he was. We’re all very happy about it.
“He believed in me. He believes in this team. The people, him, Denny, everybody else, has put together to create what 23XI is. He’s put a lot towards it. It’s really cool in these critical moments to be able to deliver for him and for everybody else that’s a part of the team.”
Reddick is now focused on Phoenix Raceway in two weeks, where he looks to become Toyota’s first Cup champion since Kyle Busch in 2019.
