Michael Jordan’s competitive spirit is legendary, so you can imagine just how happy he must have been when 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick won his second race of the season, deep inside Detroit Pistons country. In just three and a half years, the team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Jordan has gone from simply existing to becoming championship contenders, a testament to the winning mentality instilled by the Chicago Bulls legend.

The Basketball Hall of Famer was present at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, and his presence may have been enough to propel the 23XI Racing team to perform stronger at the FireKeepers Casino 400. Victory in NASCAR may fill Jordan’s competitive void, after the 61-year-old sold the Charlotte Hornets in a multi-billion dollar deal last year.

Denny Hamlin shares insight into Michael Jordan’s mentality

Michael Jordan will be eyeing the elusive championship trophy. Why wouldn’t he? After all, his driver Tyler Reddick is first in the driver standings, with 11 top-five and 17 top-ten finishes, the highest in the Cup Series grid. 23XI Racing has plenty to be optimistic about, as the 28-year-old has already won in Talladega and Michigan, and just two races remain in the regular season at Daytona and Darlington. If Reddick can hold off Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Denny Hamlin in the coming weeks, the No. 45 Toyota driver will earn an extra 15 points per round in the playoffs.

Speaking in the post-race press conference at Michigan International Speedway, Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing was asked if he had heard from Michael Jordan after the victory. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver replied, “Yeah, I mean, he’s obviously very excited, you know. I think that you know, him coming to Michigan, you know, he’s got a schedule of races that he’s going to be going through here in the playoffs as well. This is a fun hobby for him, a fun business for him, right?”

“This fills in a lot of gaps of the competitiveness he has lost by not being a part of the Hornets anymore. You know, he’s about winning, we had conversations, ownership meetings where we’re trying to figure out directions with what we’re going to do with this, that, and the other. It’s always been, ‘I want to win’. 60-something years old, ‘I want to win’.”

23XI Racing has had a mercurial rise in the NASCAR Cup Series since its inception. The team has excelled in the Next Gen car, and its alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing has paid dividends. A combination of good ownership, sound decision-making, and hiring the right personnel has made the team a genuine title contender in a short period. Bubba Wallace, who was the organization’s first driver, is having a strong season as well and is expected to surpass his career bests in every category this season.

As for Tyler Reddick, the California native was due to join 23XI Racing earlier this season but was released a year earlier as Richard Childress Racing recruited Kyle Busch in 2023. This gave the Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin co-owned team an extra year to build a winning culture with the two-time Xfinity Series champion, the results of which are paying off this season. For many drivers, the culture of a racing team is as important as having the best equipment, and Tyler Reddick is no different.

Reddick lauds the culture at 23XI Racing

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Tyler Reddick’s triumph at Michigan International Speedway was as much of a team victory as it was his own. The No. 45 Toyota driver has finished above 8th place in 10 out of the last 11 races, a testament not just to his incredible driving ability but to several factors working in cohesion to get the results. From race strategy to Reddick’s pit crew, everything has worked like clockwork, which has propelled him to the first position in the driver standings, with just two races to go before the playoffs begin at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Speaking about the culture that has been developed by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin at 23XI Racing, Tyler Reddick said, “I saw week in and week out, racing against both their cars, the speed they bring to the table, the culture that they have at 23XI. It’s important to me. It takes everything to have a really good team.” The 28-year-old went on to say, “I knew that as time would continue to go on, they would continue to climb. I feel like we’re really seeing it now, a lot of weeks. I also just wanted to sink my feet into ground that I know I’d be there for a while, a number of years, and build a program, build our way to the top. Felt really good about that with 23XI.”

As things stand, Reddick is 10 points ahead of second-place Chase Elliott in the driver standings, and 28 points higher than third-place Denny Hamlin. Kyle Larson’s DNF at FireKeepers Casino 400 has relegated him to fourth place, 32 points behind the leader. If Tyler Reddick can maintain his consistency and get good results at Daytona and Darlington, there is no reason he couldn’t finish as the regular season champion. The achievement will go a long way in helping 23XI Racing secure their first Cup Series championship in their history.

Do you think Tyler Reddick has a shot at winning the championship? Let us know in the comments!