One racer was battling determined rivals, and another was fighting off nausea. What resulted was a real rollercoaster ride of emotions for 23XI Racing team owner Michael Jordan. The NBA legend was so shaken that he came down to pit lane to root for his wheelmen. His jittery feeling betrayed itself in his words and led co-owner Denny Hamlin to empathize with him.

The Darlington race was indeed a nail-biter for both 23XI drivers, who were each engaged in hard-fought battles. However, the results were one-sided, with Bubba Wallace unable to crack the playoffs. Still, it made for a memorable experience, as Hamlin reflected on the tension felt by Michael Jordan.

Co-owner empathizes with Michael Jordan’s fears

“I’m terrified,” Michael Jordan confessed toward the end of the Southern 500 race. Bubba Wallace, the No. 23 Toyota driver, was just a few points away from cracking the playoff bubble. Yet some determined drivers like Chris Buescher and Ross Chastain were making it difficult for him. On the other side, Tyler Reddick was on the verge of giving up the No. 45’s wheel to Martin Truex Jr. Yet Reddick managed to keep his churning stomach at bay long enough to cross the finish line and win the regular season.

This absolute whirlwind of events left Michael Jordan biting his nails. And on a recent episode of ‘Actions Detrimental’, Denny Hamlin reflected on that enthusiastically. “Watching it back, it was definitely interesting. You can tell how nervous and into it he was…it’s fun. Knowing that someone that has been in the most pressure-packed situations as a professional athlete.” After all, Jordan is a legendary face of the NBA, having led the Chicago Bulls to six championships.

Hamlin empathized with his co-owner’s situation. Watching impending doom grab your driver by the neck as you stand helplessly can be a daunting experience indeed. “When I am watching it right, and I’m out of races…watching races conclude and I’m watching the 23 and the 45, you do get way more nervous because you can’t control it. I’m not in the car, I can’t make this move or that move, or do this or do that. I’m just looking at it from a fan’s perspective.” Then Hamlin slipped the true emotion of being a race team owner. “You feel a lot more vulnerable when you’re just an owner. And you know you just hope that things kind of work out.”

Wallace’s ambitions ultimately fell through as Chase Briscoe dashed his Darlington hopes. On the other hand, Tyler Reddick outperformed points rival Kyle Larson and gave fans some relief with a positive health update.

Reddick held it together somehow

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Akin to Michael Jordan’s food poisoning in a 1997 NBA game, Tyler Reddick also faced a “Flu Game” of his own. In his pursuit of the regular season championship, Reddick faced a tough competitor—Kyle Larson. The Hendrick Motorsports driver dominated by sweeping both stages and leading most of the laps. However, Reddick found his opportunity when Ross Chastain took the lead, blocking Larson, who later crashed out toward the end. This allowed the No. 45 driver to push through to the finish and secure 10th place. Yet, the challenging race took an unexpected turn, as Reddick humorously admitted to soiling himself mid-race, leaving fans with quite a story.

However, Tyler Reddick cleared up the confusion after the race, clarifying what exactly he faced during the race. “Well I wasn’t going to by choice park it, I was worried that the end of Stage 1 there when it finally ended, I was having to focus more on having to hold back puke than driving the car and I was just worried I was going to just start puking and not be able to drive and crash and end my way that way…I feel like it’s pretty hard to puke and do something else at the same time so I was just worried my day was going to end that way because of that. I was fighting that and then I think it was got a little confused on the radio.”

Reddick prevailed in the end, and Michael Jordan could heave a partial sigh of relief. Now more tensions are on the way, as the No. 45 driver has his Championship work cut out for him.