Did Tyler Reddick script history for Michael Jordan's team? Everything you need to know about 23XI Racing star's Homestead-Miami win
Tyler Reddick made the final lap lunge over the frontrunner Ryan Blaney to punch his Championship 4 ticket. It not only marked the #45 Toyota driver's career-first advancement to Phoenix as a championship contender but also for his boss Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing, scripting history for the NBA legend's team.
Reddick set the stage with his fastest qualifying lap at the Homestead-Miami Speedway and continued his dominance, securing the Stage 1 win. He dropped several track positions in the second stage, settling in fourth. However, a setback transpired in the final stage, as the regular season champion was forced to pit on Lap 252 of the 267-lap race.
The #45 driver hoped for a caution to save his championship bid as he entered the Straight Talk Wireless 400 race below the cutline. His wish came true, thanks to Kyle Larson. During a three-wide battle, the HMS driver tried to overtake Ryan Blaney and Austin Dillon but spun out, prompting a caution.
As a result, all lead cars were pitted except Tyler Reddick, who got lucky and found himself leading the final restart. But the race was far from over. The 23XI Racing driver fell back as Blaney, the defending Cup Series champion, took the white flag as the leader.
Still, Reddick fiercely charged for the lead, and the moment Team Penske's #12 Ford left the outside lane wide open, the 23XI Racing driver pushed the pedal to the metal, delivering his race-winning lunge and reducing Blaney to a runner-up finish.
It marked Tyler Reddick's first Championship 4 entry as a title contender since registering his debut Cup Series race at the 2019 Daytona 500. It also became 23XI Racing's first Phoneix entry as a championship challenger since its first race at the 2021 Daytona 500.
Michael Jordan "proud" of Tyler Reddick after tables turned at the Homestead-Miami Speedway
Reddick exhibited a lackluster playoff stat before reigning supreme at the 1.5-mile oval. He bagged his only top-10 of the playoffs when the title fight began at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. After that, he couldn't post dominating results, but sufficient enough to propel him into the following rounds.
However, after the Las Vegas setback, which saw the #45 Toyota violently flip on the infield grass, marking the third DNF for the 23XI Racing driver, Reddick needed a dominant result entering Homestead-Miami to prevent getting kicked out of the championship battle. And he materialized it.
Michael Jordan was ecstatic by his driver's "proud" effort. He said after the race (via NASCAR on NBC).
"Little kid drove his ass off. I'm proud of him. He just let go [on the final lap]. He just went for it, and I'm glad. We needed it."
Tyler Reddick's win has put Ryan Blaney in a must-win situation if the latter wants to keep himself alive in the NASCAR Cup Series championship fight.