For the first time since 1998, Michael Jordan got to hoist a trophy as the winner of an event Sunday afternoon.
Tyler Reddick captured the 2024 Geico 500 on Sunday, marking the first win for Jordan's 23XI Racing with the six-time NBA Finals MVP in attendance.
Jordan co-owns 23XI Racing with Denny Hamlin. The team has won six races overall in the NASCAR Cup series since launching in 2021, but the first five came with Jordan not in attendance.
"Denny keeps saying I was bad luck when I came to the track, but today we proved him wrong. ... As you know, this is the NBA playoffs right now. For me, this is like an NBA playoff game. … For us to win a big race like this, it means so much to me.
"Look, I'm all in. I love it. It replaces a lot of the competitiveness I had in basketball. But this is even worse, because I have no control. If I was playing basketball, I'd have total control. So I live vicariously through the drivers."
Reddick has won three races since joining 23XI last season and finished sixth in the points standings in 2023. His win over the weekend will lock him into a playoff spot later this year, and Sunday was his fifth straight top-10 finish and seventh of the young NASCAR season.
If the 28-year-old Reddick can keep up his momentum, this likely won't be the only time Jordan is celebrating in victory lane this season.
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