The hardest hit Tyler Reddick experienced at Homestead-Miami Speedway didn’t come from hitting the wall or being crashed into by another driver. It came from his boss.
Michael Jordan is 6 feet 6 inches tall, while Reddick is likely no taller than 5 feet 6 inches. When Jordan charges at him full speed and wraps his big arms around Reddick, the driver is definitely going to feel it.
This is exactly what happened on Sunday after Reddick won at Homestead, securing one of the four spots in NASCAR’s winner-take-all championship race in Phoenix in two weeks.
“To be able to reward him … it’s a true honor,” Reddick said. “It was really cool to see how happy he was. We’re all very happy about it.” And for good reason. Winning motivates Jordan more than anything, even at the age of 61.
Building a huge multi-billion-dollar business empire—including his famous shoes, clothes, steaks, cars, golf courses, and much more—has not dimmed Jordan’s competitive spirit. Winning six NBA championships, being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and being regarded as one of the greatest players of all time haven’t changed that either.
Jordan always wants to win, whether he’s playing golf against pros at his high-end course, where drinks are delivered by drones in South Florida, or watching his 23XI racing team from the pit wall.
“Yeah, baby! Yes!” Jordan shouted when he reached Reddick right after Sunday’s win. “Good job, kid! Man, good job.” From Jordan, there is no greater praise.
There are some similarities between Jordan and Reddick, despite their big difference in height. Jordan was known for performing well even when he was sick. Reddick clinched the regular-season championship this year at Darlington, a race where he was battling a virus and worried about getting sick in his helmet or worse.
“I think it’s just a combination of talent and resilience,” said crew chief Billy Scott. “When things aren’t going well, I sometimes think he’s in his element. He seems to handle that really well, staying calm and focused.
He has so much talent that even if he has to overcome some kind of disadvantage, like being sick or having tire issues, he’s able to do it.”
Sunday’s victory secured Reddick a spot in the winner-take-all finale. If anyone wondered whether the 23XI team was distracted by off-track issues—especially Jordan being involved in a lawsuit against NASCAR regarding revenue sharing, which could greatly impact the series in the future—those questions have been answered.
As a player, Jordan rarely let off-the-court matters affect his performance. As an owner, it seems he applies the same principle to his team.
“We’re here to win races. I think everyone at 23XI is focused on that,” said Dave Rogers, the competition director for the 23XI team. “Any team that competes for a championship or wins a championship has to deal with distractions.
There are many obstacles, noise, and distractions. I don’t care who it is or what it is, if you want to win a championship, you have to push through challenges. That’s just part of it.
“This is one of those distractions that we’re choosing to ignore and just compete at the highest level we know how.”
