As Michael Jordan burst into smiles, a prominent pair of eyes was missing to capture him. Tyler Reddick put up a thrilling show at the Straight Talk Wireless 400 race. From seizing the pole and posting the fastest speed of 167.770 mph to toppling his rivals over less than a lap, Reddick re-established Homestead-Miami’s sparkling reputation. However, Reddick’s path to clinching a Championship 4 berth in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs would not feature in a prominent NASCAR journalist’s X feed.

Jeff Gluck, who completed 20 years in NASCAR this season, is an asset to the sport. His dynamic analysis via ‘The Teardown’ and insightful articles on ‘The Athletic’ have earned him a name like no other among race fans. So the sports community rallied to support him, as an unfortunate turn of events prevented his presence at Homestead.

True eyes of NASCAR

Racing door-to-door at almost 200 mph while sealed inside sweltering cockpits – this high-pressure situation batters drivers at NASCAR races. So handling their varied moods while covering racing stories is a task that only a few veterans can do. Jeff Gluck is one of them and has been doing that task since his first race at Rockingham in 2004. From diligently covering every driver’s experience to Kyle Busch’s epic fistfight with Joey Logano in 2017, Gluck has been at the core of NASCAR. However, he could not see Tyler Reddick overtaking Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney on the final lap of the Homestead-Miami race.

And the veteran journalist opened up soon after the Straight Talk Wireless 400 race ended. On receiving concerned inquiries about his absence, Jeff Gluck decided to post his reason on X. An unfortunate family dilemma beset him and he had to sacrifice the exciting Homestead story. “I’ve seen some tweets asking where I am. On Friday afternoon, my wife @sarahmgluck was hospitalized and had minor surgery yesterday morning, so I left Homestead on Friday and flew home. Thankfully she’s home recovering now. Appreciate the concern.”

Gluck’s better half has been at his side all through his NASCAR journey. Over two decades, the veteran has seen the evolution of the sport. In his first year of 2004, sponsors looked like America Online, Kodak EasyShare cameras, and Alltel – all of which are now obsolete. Then the Next Gen 4 car ran that season, which even Richard Petty drove – and now we see the Gen 7 or the Next-Gen car running the tracks. But what most deeply impacted Gluck should be the drivers ending their careers. He admitted earlier this year: “Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart may be retired, but there’s still Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne. OK, so Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t racing now — but hey, Kevin Harvick is still around.” Then Harvick also hung up his firesuit last season, so Gluck hilariously said: “I’m not old! I’m not old!”

After all that Gluck has done for the sport, the racing community is by his side now. They sent heartfelt wishes to the Gluck family in these difficult times.

Fans of the poll-maker send support

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This time, we probably would not see that public poll on X. After every race weekend, Jeff Gluck asks people whether they liked the race or not. In recent events, chaotic events like Talladega or wildcard events like Daytona have not scored big on the popularity radar. But just when NASCAR hosted a fantastic race at Homestead, Gluck was not there. Fellow NASCAR folk rallied to shower their support for Gluck’s wife, as journalist Matt Weaver wrote: “Sending yall and the girls my love and wishes for a speedy recovery!” Dirty Mo Media, Dale Earnhardt Jr’s media company, also chimed in. “Wishing her a speedy recovery! 🫶🏼” Craftsman Truck Series star Rajah Caruth showed his relief at the improving situation. “Glad to hear she is ok.”

The glittering personalities of NASCAR aside, fans also did not fail to take Gluck’s side. One fan sent a particularly heartfelt message to the entire Gluck household. “Please give Sarah my love and I’ll pray for her quick and easy recovery. Love to you and the girls. ❤️” Somebody else hailed Gluck for being the peak of his fatherly responsibilities in his wife’s short absence. “Sending thoughts to Sarah! I hope you are taking care of her and watching the kiddos! 🙂 Daddy time!” Another fan was mildly sad that Gluck couldn’t experience the thrilling Homestead race. “Hoping for a speedy recovery. Btw… that race was awesome. 👍🏻🏁”

Evidently, all missed Jeff Gluck’s absence at the Homestead race. As Tyler Reddick secures his place in the Championship 4 race, the playoffs become more exciting – and fans will anticipate Gluck’s presence in the upcoming races.