NBA legend and six-time champion Michael Jordan has been involved in NASCAR for just over five years after forming 23XI Racing alongside Denny Hamlin.
Jordan is now already part of the sport’s 77-year history. Through the first three NASCAR Cup Series races of the 2026 season, one of his drivers has separated himself from the rest — No. 45 Tyler Reddick.
Reddick won the Daytona 500 and the Autotrader 400, and he made history Sunday by becoming the first driver in Cup history to win three consecutive races to begin a season after capturing victory at the Circuit of the Americas. He held off Shane van Gisbergen over the final 20 laps to secure the win.
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Jordan was with Reddick’s pit crew Sunday and, like he had the previous two race weekends, was quick to celebrate. Fox Sports captured his viral reaction afterward.
“It’s time for change, it’s time for change — and the guys feel the same thing,” Jordan said about making NASCAR history despite being relatively new to team ownership.
“Tyler came in with the most pressure. He had a chance to win three in a row — that’s the hardest one to win. He stuck to his strategy and the guys made a great call. Tyler did a good job. He beat some good competition. When you see SVG back there, you get a little nervous.”
“I’m proud of the team we put together. Denny feels the same way that I do, and a lot of credit goes to him because he’s the mastermind behind finding Tyler. Look, I just put up the money — I’m just a competitor. But Denny’s done an unbelievable job helping build this team, and the team has done a great job taking our leadership and going out and winning. That’s what it’s about — winning.”
Tyler Reddick was quick to deflect praise after the race and put the moment into perspective, emphasizing that while it was just one race, it carried major significance.
“It’s one race, but it was so important,” Reddick said. “It’s so fitting to get three in a row and make history.”
Afterward, Shane van Gisbergen — who won five of six road course races in 2025 — also weighed in on Reddick’s performance.
“Tyler was just amazing,” van Gisbergen said. “You’re always disappointed with second when the expectations are so high.”
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