Michael Jordan's NASCAR Team Wins Daytona 500
Michael Jordan received his Daytona 500 owner's ring after driver Tyler Reddick secured a victory for the 23XI Racing team. Reddick, driving the No. 45 car co-owned by the basketball legend and Denny Hamlin, won NASCAR's premier event. The victory marks a significant achievement for Jordan's venture into motorsports ownership.
- Tyler Reddick secured the win in a dramatic finish, leading only the final lap of the race. This victory marked a record-setting day at Daytona, with 25 different drivers leading at least one lap. - The victory for 23XI Racing, co-owned by Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, is the team's first in the prestigious event. The team name is a nod to Jordan's iconic basketball number (23) and Hamlin's race car number (11). - This win was particularly significant for Reddick, who had a winless 2025 season and faced personal challenges with his infant son's health. He had previously finished as the runner-up in the 2025 Daytona 500. - Michael Jordan, who celebrated his 63rd birthday just two days after the race, compared the feeling of winning the Daytona 500 to winning an NBA championship. - The 23XI Racing team, which fields Toyota Camrys, has a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing. The team was formed in 2020 and began competing in the 2021 season with Bubba Wallace as their first driver. - The win comes after a period of legal disputes between 23XI Racing (along with Front Row Motorsports) and NASCAR, which involved an antitrust lawsuit that was settled in December 2025. - The other 23XI drivers also had strong showings in the race, with Bubba Wallace winning Stage 2 and finishing 10th, and Riley Herbst finishing in eighth place after giving Reddick a crucial push on the final lap.
