While his boss, Denny Hamlin, is still maneuvering his way to get into the Final 4, Tyler Reddick has already locked his spot in the series finale at Phoenix for the first time in the NASCAR Cup Series, much to the delight of Michael Jordan, the owner of the 23XI Racing team.
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Following a heartfelt long hug from Jordan on pit road in the middle of an interview, Reddick shared the encouraging words exchanged between them. He recounted,
“He was just really proud, the fight that we had, never giving up, fighting through the adversity. Just really, really proud of the effort we put forth. Like I said, he believes in me. He believes in this team… He was really proud of the whole team for the effort we put forth.”
Two very happy people right there. 🏁
Tyler Reddick and team co-owner Michael Jordan are going to the NASCAR championship in Phoenix. pic.twitter.com/vUar1mSLOy
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 27, 2024
Reddick transformed his pole position into a commanding performance at Homestead, leading a race-high 97 laps. While navigating through the 1.5-mile race track, where he dropped to fourth by the end of Stage 2, Reddick made a strategic surge in the final lap.
He soared to the top of the track, cleanly overtaking Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin, clinching the win as he crossed the start/finish line first. The victory was more than just a win for Reddick, who had entered the race trailing by 30 points below the playoff cutline.
But a lucky caution caused by Kyle Larson’s spin proved timely during the final laps, enabling Reddick to keep the leaders within reach and ultimately make his victorious move.
Reddick acknowledges the efforts of Jordan and Hamlin as owners of the 23XI Racing team
Back in 1993, Michael Jordan clinched a championship in Phoenix, and this year, Tyler Reddick has given the NBA legend another shot at glory in the same city by advancing to the Championship 4 to race in the finale at Phoenix.
Reflecting on the victory, Jordan shared, “The little kid drove his a** off. […] I’m proud of him. … He just let go and he just went for it. I’m glad. I’m glad. We needed it.”
Reddick, recognizing the immense contributions from team owners Jordan and Hamlin, expressed, “He’s [Jordan] dedicated a lot of his time, his efforts, his money into elevating 23XI to where it is right now… To be able to reward him with the days like we had today, it’s a true honor. It was really cool to see how happy he was… The people, him, Denny, everybody else, has put together to create what 23Xl is.”
While Reddick has punched his ticket to the Championship 4, he finds himself 5 points shy. Currently, Christopher Bell and William Byron are the only drivers holding leads of 29 and 7 points respectively.
