Michael Jordan knows a thing or two about what it takes to win a championship.
Now, nearly three decades after winning the last of his six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, Jordan is trying to add a NASCAR Cup Series championship to his résumé as co-owner of 23XI Racing.
And before that pursuit begins in earnest Sunday at Darlington Raceway, Jordan made sure his team heard from him.
Tyler Reddick revealed that Jordan recently visited 23XI Racing’s Airspeed headquarters in Huntersville, North Carolina, where the NBA legend addressed the organization ahead of NASCAR’s 10-race Chase.
For Reddick, who enters The Chase as the No. 3 seed, Jordan’s presence carries weight.
“For me, anytime I get to spend that time with Michael, it leaves a huge impact on me,” Reddick told the Daily Mail. “I really do love it when he comes to 23XI, to Airspeed, because I have an opportunity to see the impact that he has on the men and women that work here.”
Michael Jordan Addresses 23XI Ahead of The Chase
Jordan isn’t simply a celebrity name attached to 23XI Racing.
Reddick described an owner who remains connected to his organization and its drivers, including sending messages of encouragement or congratulations after races.
But Jordan’s recent visit to Airspeed gave the entire company a chance to hear from one of the most accomplished competitors in sports history as 23XI prepared for its championship run.
“When he came in here to address the company, he’s just a great speaker,” Reddick said. “He knows how to get the point across, he knows how to get people excited, and he knows how to make it relatable.”
Reddick called Jordan “an amazing leader” and said the time he made for the organization “goes a long way.”
The timing couldn’t be much better.
Reddick opened 2026 with one of the most remarkable stretches in recent NASCAR history, winning the Daytona 500 before becoming the first Cup Series driver to win each of the season’s first three races. He eventually won five of the first nine races before a difficult summer knocked him from the top of the standings.
Denny Hamlin ultimately overtook Reddick and captured the regular-season points lead, but NASCAR’s Chase reset has given the No. 45 team a fresh opportunity. Reddick begins the 10-race championship run seeded third.
And it starts at a track where he’s already won this season.
Tyler Reddick Gets Major Darlington Advantage
Reddick won the spring race at Darlington after overcoming an electrical issue that forced his team to change the battery in his No. 45 Toyota.
Now he’ll have another significant advantage when NASCAR returns to the track Sunday.
Cup Series qualifying was canceled Saturday because of inclement weather, putting Reddick on the pole for the Cook Out Southern 500 after NASCAR set the starting lineup by metric.
The combination makes Darlington an important opportunity for a team trying to rediscover the form that made Reddick look nearly unstoppable earlier this year.
Reddick believes surviving the summer’s setbacks could ultimately help.
“People are gonna have mistakes, people are gonna have bad days,” Reddick told the Daily Mail. “We know how to handle it, we know how to get through it, we know how to reset for the next week.”
That ability to reset will be critical under NASCAR’s new championship format. There are no eliminations during the 10-race Chase, meaning one disastrous afternoon won’t automatically end a driver’s title bid.
But consistency over the entire stretch will decide the champion.
And one of the biggest obstacles standing between Jordan and his first NASCAR Cup Series championship happens to be the man with whom he built 23XI.
Denny Hamlin Could Stand Between Michael Jordan and NASCAR Title
Hamlin enters The Chase as the No. 1 seed after a tremendous regular season with Joe Gibbs Racing.
He is also Jordan’s business partner and co-owner of 23XI Racing.
That creates one of the more fascinating dynamics of the championship fight.
Jordan wants 23XI to capture its first Cup title, while Hamlin is simultaneously trying to win the first Cup Series championship of his own driving career in the No. 11 JGR Toyota.
Reddick knows exactly how formidable that challenge could be.
“I think the battle that was on everyone’s mind much of this season is still there,” Reddick told the Daily Mail. “I think the 11 [Hamlin] will be really strong.”
For Jordan, that means one of the people most responsible for building his NASCAR organization could also be the person who keeps it from winning a championship.
But before the first green flag of The Chase, Jordan delivered his message to the people trying to bring 23XI its biggest prize yet.
Now it’s up to Reddick and the No. 45 team to deliver on the track.
Michael Jordan Held Private Meeting With 23XI Before NASCAR’s Championship Chase