Looks like Michael Jordan’s not bringing any bad luck to the racetrack after all. The basketball legend was all smiles as Tyler Reddick secured a NASCAR Cup win at Talladega Superspeedway.
Reddick zoomed past the finish line after a dramatic crash involving front-runner Michael McDowell, who was trying hard to keep his lead.
This race at Talladega, known for its thrilling finishes, marked the first time Jordan, co-owner of 23XI Racing with Denny Hamlin, saw one of his drivers win at the track.
“Denny always said I was a jinx here, but today proved him wrong,” Jordan said happily. “I’m thrilled to be here for this win. They told me we’d have a great celebration when we won, and this is my first time seeing it.”
McDowell, who started at pole position, was leading strongly in the final laps and looked set to give Ford its first win of the year.
But his last-ditch attempts to block Brad Keselowski, another Ford driver, ended up causing a collision that sent McDowell spinning out and allowed Reddick to snatch the victory by a narrow margin of 0.208 seconds.
After the intense finish, several cars got caught up in the chaos. Corey LaJoie’s No. 7 car ended up on its side, sliding across the finish line and pinned against the wall in front of the huge grandstands.
Reddick emerged from his No. 45 car and quickly climbed up the fence, just like Spider-Man. “Did you see that, folks?” he shouted to the fans. “That was pure chaos. That’s Talladega for you.”
For Jordan, it brought back memories of his basketball days when he won six NBA championships and made countless game-winning shots. But now, Jordan’s passion lies in stock car racing.
“To me, this feels like a high-stakes NBA playoff game,” the 61-year-old said. “Winning a big race like this means a lot to me. I’m fully committed to it. I love it. It fills the competitive void I had in basketball.
But this is even more nerve-wracking because I have no control. When I played basketball, I had full control. But now, I have to live through the drivers, crew chiefs, and everyone else.”
Keselowski finished in second place, still chasing his first win since his victory at this 2.66-mile oval in east Alabama three years ago.
“We tried to make a move, but Michael blocked it,” Keselowski explained. “When we tried the other way, we had nowhere to go when Michael came back down. That’s just how racing sometimes goes.”
McDowell expressed regret to Keselowski and everyone else involved in the crashes.
“He pushed me out. I tried to get back in front of him, but I wasn’t quite clear,” McDowell explained. “At Talladega, you’re pushing hard to win. Unfortunately, we fell short and took out a lot of other drivers with us.”
Reddick’s win made up for a strategy mistake that caused several Toyota drivers, including Hamlin, who co-owns 23XI Racing, to crash out.
All three Toyota teams pitted together with 37 laps left, hoping to work together to move up through the field and challenge for the win. However, they couldn’t avoid a big wreck.
A few laps later, Nemechek bumped into Wallace, who then hit Jones, causing him to crash into the wall. Hamlin got caught up in the chaos, too.
“We had a plan, but we didn’t execute it well,” Wallace admitted. “It’s disappointing.” Jones was shaken but not seriously injured. He was taken to the hospital for further checks after the race.
Reddick managed to avoid the crash and stayed at the front to clinch the victory. Jordan couldn’t resist teasing his co-owner, jokingly saying that Hamlin’s crash helped them get to the front.
