What a finish! Over 30 years ago, Michael Jordan won an NBA championship at Phoenix, the third of his six titles. Tyler Reddick’s dramatic last-lap overtake ensured the 23XI Racing co-owner would have another shot at silverware in the winner-takes-all race this year.

The No. 45 Toyota driver went high and overtook defending champion Ryan Blaney on the final turn to become the first driver who crossed the checkered flag, securing his third win of the Cup Series season. The result means that Reddick, along with Joey Logano, are the only two drivers assured of a place in Championship 4. Reflecting on the clutch performance, Michael Jordan couldn’t hold back his emotions after the penultimate Round of 8 playoff race.

Michael Jordan was elated at Homestead-Miami’s outcome

The win couldn’t have come more dramatically. Tyler Reddick was third going into the final lap at the 2024 Straight Talk Wireless 400, less than half a second behind 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin and race leader Ryan Blaney. Entering Turn 1, the 28-year-old managed to quickly overtake his boss’ No. 11 Toyota and found himself behind the Team Penske driver going into Turn 3. Knowing that it was now or never, Reddick ran centimeters off the wall to maximize his lap time, overtaking the defending Cup Series champion to secure a victory.

It was not just the result, but how it was won that went down particularly well with Michael Jordan. Expressing his happiness on Reddick’s win, the NBA Hall of Famer said, “Billy made a call. We looked kind of scared because we ran out of gas. We knew we needed a caution at the end, anything can happen after that. As you can see, Denny was up there. The little kid drove his a*s off.” When asked about his thoughts on the final lap, Jordan went on to say, “Oh man, he just let go. He just went for it. I’m glad. We needed it, we needed it.”

After a heartbreaking early retirement at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Tyler Reddick was eager to make amends in the penultimate Round of Eight playoff fixture. The California native became the ninth winner at Homestead-Miami in as many years, leading 98 out of 267 laps, including the one that mattered the most at the end. After a topsy-turvy race, the 28-year-old was seen hugging Michael Jordan, relief etched on both their faces in what has been a difficult few weeks for 23XI Racing with the ongoing lawsuit against NASCAR.

Reddick was 30 points outside the elimination cutline going into Homestead-Miami, highlighting why Michael Jordan said that they “needed it” when referring to getting a victory.

Meanwhile, the team’s co-owner, Denny Hamlin, is now in must-win territory going into Martinsville Speedway, and as things stand, he is 18 points below the elimination cutline with just one race remaining to keep his title hopes alive. With Reddick’s place in Championship 4 assured, will the 23XI Racing driver help his team’s owner at the Xfinity 500?

Tyler Reddick’s gamble paid off

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Having suffered a heartbreaking DNF at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Tyler Reddick was eager to make amends at Homestead-Miami. Despite qualifying for the Straight Talk Wireless 400 in pole position, his chances of winning the race looked slim in the final stage. This prompted crew chief Billy Scott to keep his driver on track while others pitted, which played to their advantage when Kyle Larson spun while battling Blaney.

With drivers experiencing high tire wear, most of the cars went into the pit road, giving Michael Jordan’s driver the lead. However, Reddick was soon relegated to third on the restart as Hamlin and Blaney took advantage of their improved performance. However, the 23XI Racing driver pulled off an upset in the final lap by overtaking both his rivals to secure a victory in the dying seconds.

Reflecting on his performance, Tyler Reddick said, “We were backed into a corner man. We had no other choice. I know we were on a tire deficit, and here at Homestead, that’s a death sentence. But I don’t care. We did what it took to win this race. We’re fighting for a championship.” Recalling his last lap pace, the 28-year-old went on to say, “I couldn’t believe it. I just knew I needed to get even with him on his right side door, and he raced me clean, and I appreciate it. I’m just really, really excited about having a shot at the championship.”

With two more races to go, Reddick will use the upcoming weeks to prepare for the winner-takes-all event at Phoenix Raceway. With 23XI Racing only being operational for four years, seeing one of their drivers in the Championship 4 is a big achievement for the team.

The ongoing lawsuit saga has dominated headlines in recent weeks, and Michael Jordan will want his driver to lift the Bill France Cup in the final race of the season, just to upset the sport’s hierarchy at the biggest stage of them all.