While bigshot NASCAR teams like Hendrick Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing have not been able to get all their cars onto the playoff grid for the 2023 Cup Series Championship, Michael Jordan’s fairly new team has both its cars locked into the rumble. Big blow for the haters and quite a show for Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing.

Driver for the #45 Toyota Camry, Tyler Reddick, appeared victorious last week at Kansas Speedway after leading the last two decisive laps. Despite blowing off his tire, Bubba Wallace, too, salvaged the day and finished the race in a commendable 7th place. One could wonder, What is the secret behind the success of this rookie team? Bubba Wallace gave a shout-out to two central figures who once used to work for Tony Stewart and Richard Childress.

Tony Stewart and Richard Childress might be regretting their decisions

During a post-qualifying interview at Bristol, a reporter asked 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace to shed light on the team attitude that has enabled them to get hold of their recent success.

Bubba said, “I think, just learning, having an open ear and open mind and listening to Denny, listening to a lot of veterans we have on the team of steering the direction and trusting that process.”

However, that is not all. Having fast cars does not ensure a trip down the victory lane. After all, with the introduction of the next generation of cars, almost all cars are somewhat the same as far as statistics and specifications are concerned. So how does 23XI Racing stand out from the other teams?

“Having Booty (Barker) and Billy (Scott) lead that ship, is really beneficial for that team. We have key people in the right areas to bring fast race cars,” said Bubba Wallace.

Back in 2009, Tony Stewart decided to move NASCAR stalwart and crew chief Bootie Barker from Stewart-Haas Racing to Michael Waltrip Racing. Later, he joined 23XI Racing as the crew chief for the number 23 car. Fast forward to 2019, when Billy Scott joined as the head of race engineering at Richard Childress Racing, replacing Justin Alexander. However, Scott left RCR in 2021 and joined 23XI Racing as Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s No. 45 crew chief. Thanks to both Tony Stewart and Richard Childress, the Barker-Scott duo has since been streamlining Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick to new heights in their respective careers.

Bubba Wallace could not help expressing his gratitude towards everyone on his team, especially Bootie Barker and Billy Scott. He said, “There’s often times where we’re the top 2 Toyota cars; that’s big! Proud of everybody’s efforts. Just got to keep it going.”

Watch this story: Bubba Wallace Exposes the Biggest Problem With Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing Team

While Bubba Wallace owed the victory to his team, his teammate Reddick hinted that his latest victory was somewhat of a work of luck and not talent.

Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s No. 45 ‘somehow’ found the clean air to ace the race in Kansas

Although this is not the first time Tyler Reddick has made it into the playoffs, it is indeed the first time in his entire career that he has locked his spot in the round of 12. Regardless of the results of his next run at Bristol Motor Speedway, he will rev his Toyota at Texas Motor Speedway on September 24th.

However, he felt like the win came to him rather than him going for it. In a recent tweet, he said, “To have an opportunity present itself with a few laps to go, come at pit road, make the right strategy, put on those 4 Goodyear tires and then be able to somehow find the clean air and find a way to the front was really a cool way to cap off another really strong day for our team.”

This brings us all to the question: Was Reddick’s win a mere fluke? Nobody knows. Fluke or not, Tyler Reddick declared the most important takeaway for the 23XI Racing team from Kansas.

“We got the 45 back to victory lane at Kansas,” he smiled.

Read more: How Rich is Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team 23XI Racing?