Can the 2023 season of NASCAR be termed the year of underdogs? While teams like Hendrick Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing struggled to find momentum in the races, teams like Front Row Motorsports and RFK Racing have transformed the tidings of the series. Among the other underdog dogs that underwent transition with leaps and bounds, Michael Jordan owned the 23XI Racing team.
From struggling to find traction and failing to qualify for the postseason to both cars advancing to the Round of 12, 23XI Racing’s transformation is commendable. Drawing upon this and hoping to qualify for the third, its star driver put his best foot forward, and the driver is set to steal Luka Doncic’s thunder ahead of the race in Texas on Sunday.
Tyler Reddick’s pre-race revelry catches the eye of the audience
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After the Bristol race on Sunday, it was the co-owner of 23XI Racing, Denny Hamlin, his rising prodigy Tyler Reddick, and Hendrick Motorsports speedster Kyle Larson who glided into the Round of 12 with ease. While Larson is a former Cup Series champion and Hamlin is a veteran on the grid with 51 wins under his belt, it was Tyler Reddick who took the NASCAR world by storm after taking a three-wide pass in Kansas as he scored his second victory of the season.
It was the first time that the ‘road course Jesus’ was able to qualify for the Round of 14 in his Cup Series career. Hoping to translate the same feat for Kansas, the driver has geared up for the race on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, a track where he has found success as a Cup Series driver in the past.
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He scored his debut victory on the intermediate track and also in the last season after he failed to advance in the Round of 14. He was able to fend off all the major on-track incidents and Team Penske’s Joey Logano to notch his victory. However, before donning his fire suit and starting his engine, Reddick soaked himself in pre-race revelry.
The 23XI Racing prodigy was seen in a Nike store and signed a box containing the newly launched Jordan Luka 2 Trick Shots, worth $140. Moreover, Reddick’s car for Sunday’s race at Texas would be flaunting the same livery as the design of the sneaker. On the official Instagram page, the team provided a glimpse of Tyler Reddick signing, with the words, “This Nike Store had had Tyler sign a pair of the Jordan Luka 2 Trick Shots that will be displayed on the store.”
Michael Jordan’s @NASCAR team, @23XIRacing, has unveiled a new Luka Doncic-inspired racecar for this week’s race at Texas Motor Speedway 🤠🏁 pic.twitter.com/leYGO7L4NX
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) September 20, 2023
Bubba Wallace shocks the NASCAR world after his Texas qualifying
Moreover, this was not the first time that the car was painted under such color schemes. Earlier, it had donned the livery aligned to Air Jordan 3 “Black Cement” and Air Jordan “Concord”.
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Nonetheless, it seems that 23XI Racing is set to start the race in high spirits, as Reddick’s teammate Bubba Wallace earned his first pole position of the season and his career second. After outlasting the RFK Racing duo, Wallace surged to the front of the field.
After achieving the feat, Wallace expressed to the media, “Was I expecting it? I don’t know. Qualifying, you know, I tend to try too hard and overthink things. And that’s my problem with life, I need to stop doing it, I just need to just go out and do. So that was a good surprise.”
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With a defending winner of Texas and a newly achieved pole-sitter, the sun seems to be on the brighter side for Michael Jordan and his NASCAR team. However, it is yet to be seen what is in store for both drivers.