Tyler Reddick won a dramatic Daytona 500 for 23XI Racing, which is co-owned by Michael Jordan, in the first race since the basketball legend sued Nascar.
NBA Hall of Famer Jordan and co-owner Denny Hamlin, who races in the series and is a three-time Daytona 500 winner, brought an anti-trust lawsuit against Nascar over the implementation of charters for teams in the sport.
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The case was settled on the ninth day of the trial in Charlotte before Christmas and changed how revenue was shared with the teams.
In the opening race of the season at Daytona, Reddick came through unscathed from two crashes on a dramatic final lap to win Nascar’s biggest race.
The 31-year-old started a chaotic final lap in fourth place and was briefly held up when the leading trio of Carson Hocevar, Erik Jones and Michael McDowell all crashed out of contention, while William Byron, who was aiming to become the first driver to win the race three times in a row, was also impacted.
That left Chase Elliott out in the lead with Zane Smith in hot pursuit, but Toyota driver Reddick drafted on to the back of the pair approaching the final bend after a push from 23XI team-mate Riley Herbst.
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He moved past Smith and ducked back up the inside of Elliott on the run to the finish line for his ninth career win.
As Reddick took the chequered flag after an unlikely victory, Herbst sparked a multi-car crash after an optimistic late move for victory resulted in 2023 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Joey Logano, Elliott and Brad Keselowski finishing the race with cars sprawled across the circuit.
Reddick was joined by Jordan, who turns 63 on Tuesday, in victory lane and the pair lifted the Harley J Earl Trophy in celebration.
“When you’re a Cup driver and you get to this level and drive for Michael Jordan, it’s expected you win every single year,” said a “speechless” Reddick, who had a winless 2024 as his newborn son battled health issues.
It is a second ‘Crown Jewel’ race victory for Jordan and 23XI Racing after Bubba Wallace won the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis last year.
Tyler Reddick (left) came through unscathed from a crash just before the chequered flag [Getty Images]
