Michael Jordan won a championship in Phoenix in 1993, and Tyler Reddick made sure his car owner has a shot at another title there this year.
Reddick made a bold move to pass Ryan Blaney on the last turn to win at Homestead-Miami on Sunday, securing his spot in NASCAR’s winner-take-all final race in Arizona in two weeks. He led 98 of the 267 laps, finishing with the most important lap.
“The little kid drove his ass off,” said Jordan, who won his 1993 title — the third of six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls — against the Suns in Phoenix. “I’m proud of him. … He just let go and he just went for it. I’m glad. We needed it.”
Reddick enjoys the Homestead track, especially turns 3 and 4 — the last two turns. He likely appreciates them even more now, as those turns helped him earn a title shot with an exciting finish.
“Took a risk and it paid off,” Reddick said. “I don’t know what else really to say. … When the moment’s right, you can do some pretty crazy stuff over there.”
Reddick’s move was the 33rd lead change of the day, setting a Homestead record. Blaney finished second, while Denny Hamlin — a co-owner of Reddick’s car — was third. Playoff drivers took the top six spots, with Christopher Bell fourth, Chase Elliott fifth, and William Byron sixth.
Reddick, who was the regular season champion and started from pole on Sunday, along with Joey Logano, are now guaranteed two of the four spots in NASCAR’s final four in Phoenix.
“He has an abundance of talent,” said Dave Rogers, the performance director for 23XI Racing. “He’s determined to win. He puts the work in.”
Going into the final lap, Reddick was in third behind Blaney and Hamlin. He went low to pass Hamlin, and the three cars lined up along the wall before Reddick stayed high to pass Blaney.
“We’re going to do what it took to win this race,” Reddick said, just before Jordan hugged him. Shortly after, teammate Bubba Wallace, with his fists raised like a champion, came over to congratulate him as well. “We’re fighting for a championship.”
Reddick became the ninth different winner at Homestead in the last nine years, joining names like Jimmie Johnson in 2016, Martin Truex Jr. in 2017, Logano in 2018, Kyle Busch in 2019, Hamlin in 2020, Byron in 2021, Kyle Larson in 2022, and Bell last year.
Logano was the only playoff driver who came to Homestead already secured a spot in the season finale, and he spent much of the day in the middle of the pack.
The other seven playoff drivers fought for the lead throughout the 267 laps. Hamlin was in the lead with two laps to go, Larson had it for one lap, and then Reddick took the lead at the end.
“Had a great shot to win and I didn’t have a very good last lap,” said Blaney, who was also second at Homestead last year.
Bell and Byron are likely to secure the last two spots in the winner-take-all final four, but any of the six drivers who haven’t clinched a spot yet can do so by winning at Martinsville next week.
Championship week has taken another twist, as a hearing for the lawsuit that Jordan is involved in against NASCAR regarding revenue sharing is set for Nov. 4, just six days before Reddick will try to win him a title in the desert.
