23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick was in a tough spot when he was asked to wear the Michael Jordan-Birmingham Barons shirt for the Chicago Street race. Reddick usually supports the Chicago Cubs and was hesitant about wearing a Barons shirt for today’s main event.

However, his team owner, Michael Jordan, is closely affiliated with Baron and the White Sox. Therefore, Reddick didn’t have a choice but to respect MJ’s wishes and had to take the better pill in representing his least favorite MLB team from the Windy City. In the process, he might have riled up his fiancee, Alexa DeLeon.

Reddick had to bend the knee in front of Michael Jordan’s demand

While MJ is known for his exploits on the basketball court, he also tried his hand at baseball. In 1993, he made a surprise decision to retire from the NBA and follow his father’s dream of seeing him become a professional baseball player. He signed for the minor league team, the Birmingham Barons, and they were affiliated with the White Sox. Although it was a brief stint, he returned to the Chicago Bulls in 1995 without breaking into the major league with the White Sox as he initially planned.

Despite Reddick having a soft corner for the Cubs, a team that is a direct rival to the White Sox, he just couldn’t stand his guard against his team owner. Luckily, he didn’t have to Barons firesuit, only a shirt. “No, no Barons fire suit. I like the shirt a lot, but I debated wearing it because I definitely lean more towards the Cubs than with the White Sox. My fiancee wouldn’t appreciate that, but, hey, it’s boss so you know I figured out, wear his shirt.” He said this in an interview with Bob Pockrass.

Not only that, the No. 45 Toyota Camry will also feature the Jordan brand, which adds expectations to deliver in Jordan’s backyard. “Yeah, it’s an important race for this team for the Jordan brand, so I’m pumped about the scheme that they put out on the car for this event. It really sets the mood and expectations for what we get to do this weekend.”

As far as expectations go, Tyler Reddick is 23XI Racing’s best bet to contend for a win, as Bubba Wallace is not the best road course racer. And Reddick’s record on the road course races does make him one of the favorites to win today’s Cup Series race.

Tyler Reddick is among the front runners to win the Chicago Street Race

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Those who watched yesterday’s Xfinity Series race would be convinced that Shane van Gisbergen would be a runaway winner for the Cup race as well. However, Reddick just might be able to pull off a surprise win, given how good of a road racer he is. If we are to combine last season’s statistics on road course races, the 23XI Racing star has the best average running position of all drivers at 8.43.

In 2023, he had three top-10 finishes in four road racing events and also bagged a win at COTA. Continuing his good track record, this season has again been consistent at tracks like COTA and Sonoma with top-10 results. However, last year’s Chicago race wasn’t the best one according to his standards. Adding another layer of motivation for the driver to do better.

Looking at his track record, it would be a mistake to count Reddick out of contention for the Cup Series race. And who knows? He just might be able to bag his second win of the season against some big names.